Waukegan Is Latest Suburb To Cut July 4 Fireworks

WAUKEGAN, Ill. (CBS) -- It's getting tougher to find a fireworks display for the upcoming 4th of July holiday.

As WBBM Newsradio 780's Regine Schlesinger reports yet another suburb is canceling to save money.

Last week, south suburban Dolton announced it would scrap its fireworks show to save the $20,000 cost. Now the Lake County News-Sun reports Waukegan is cutting the $25,000 it had budgeted for its fireworks.

LISTEN: Newsradio 780's Regine Schlesinger reports

The cash-strapped city says it plans to go ahead with its July 3 parade and festival, but says there are no guarantees for a parade next year.

Even in the city of Chicago, fireworks are scarcer than they were just a few years ago.

Last year, the July 3 fireworks extravaganza at the Taste of Chicago was canceled. This came after a series of crime and security concerns – most infamously an incident after the 2008 fireworks show where a man was killed and several others were injured, as patrons flooded into the Loop from Grant Park.

The July 3 fireworks show was replaced with three smaller shows on July 4 – at Navy Pier, at the 63rd Street Beach on the South Side, and at Montrose Beach on the North Side.

Now, the North and South side fireworks shows have also been canceled as a cost-cutting measure, and only the Navy Pier fireworks show remains.

At Navy Pier, fireworks displays are not reserved for the Fourth of July. They occur every Saturday and Wednesday through Sept. 3.

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• Waukegan
• Regine Schlesinger