COLLINGSWOOD, NJ — Collingswood's fireworks display on Saturday night was cancelled — at least for now — due to extreme heat and storm risk, officials said in a post to Facebook.
"Due to the ongoing extreme heat warning and a significant chance of thunderstorms during showtime, tonight’s fireworks display has been cancelled," the post said. "Unfortunately, there will not be a rain date on July 5th, as Sunday’s forecast is also calling for rain."
" Fireworks displays require a go/no-go decision to be made in the morning, well ahead of showtime, because of the load-in and safety procedures involved in setting up the show, officials explained in the post. "That means our team doesn’t have the option of waiting to see how the weather plays out later tonight; the call must be made based on the best information available earlier in the day."
Borough officials conferred with their fireworks vendor and local safety representatives to review the latest forecast, and the vendor raised concerns about crew safety given the extreme heat and combined with the real potential for lightning at showtime, which would put crowds, performers, staff, and vendors at risk, so cancelling was "the safest call" they could make.
On the bright side, officials said there is some "good news" in that they are "already working on a rescheduled fireworks show later this year."
Details will come in the future.
"In the meantime, Roberts Pool events are still on as scheduled today," the post continued. "Please stay safe out there - with pools, grills, and this heat, take it easy and look out for one another. Happy 4th of July, Collingswood!"
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