July 4th may lose some of its bang

The economic slowdown has left some Georgia governments struggling to find bucks for their bang this Fourth of July.

For the first time in more than 20 years, Gwinnett County had to cancel its Gwinnett Glows Fourth of July fireworks celebration. Gwinnett County spokeswoman Heather Sawyer said officials last fall began to anticipate shortfalls in the county budget that made the $200,000 celebration too costly to put on.

Sawyer said usually about $85,000 comes from corporate sponsorships, and the county pays the rest.

The news isn’t as dim in other parts of metro Atlanta. Fireworks displays in Roswell, Stone Mountain Park, Acworth, Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta and Alpharetta will go on. Marietta’s event will be combined with a celebration for the city’s 175th anniversary.

But Gwinnett County isn’t alone in its decision this year. Thanks to the recession’s impact across the nation on local governments and corporate sponsors, events from San Jose, Calif., to Hialeah, Fla., have been canceled.

Some fireworks companies have reported that business is off about 10 percent from last year, said Julie L. Heckman, executive director of the American Pyrotechnics Association, an industry group.

“We’ve not seen communities struggle to the level that they are this year to be able to fund their shows,” she said.

In metro Atlanta, at least two other cities considered canceling events, but offers of help led to happy endings.

Marcia Hampton, director of the Douglasville Community and Downtown Services Department, said the city was planning to cancel its annual fireworks display until it found two last-minute sponsors of Saturday’s show.

Hampton said GreyStone Power Corp. and Gas South contributed $5,000 each for Douglasville’s fireworks show, which has taken place for more than 20 years.

“A lot of people stay around the house during major holidays, and with the downturn in the economy, we think a lot of folks will be even more inclined to stay around the home, so it was very important to us to go out and find sponsorships,” said Tracie Ivey, Douglasville Parks and Recreation director.

Duluth City Clerk Teresa Lynn said the poor economy made officials question whether to have the celebration this year. The city decided to put it on when the bands performing at this year’s event —- the Army Ground Forces Band, Loose Cannons and the Woody’s —- volunteered to play for free.

Lynn said city staff members will collect donations from the public to help pay the $9,000 to $10,000 cost of Duluth’s fireworks display on Friday.

Many Americans will get their burst of July Fourth spirit.

Fireworks shows in big cities like Chicago will go on as usual, while organizers acknowledge sponsor dollars have been tight. New York’s fireworks display, which is put on by Macy’s Inc., was unaffected.

Even beaten-down cities like Detroit, which has been flayed by high unemployment and a faltering auto industry, have been able to keep their displays.

What about next year?

Sawyer said she does not expect Gwinnett County to put on the pyrotechnic display then, either.

“I think people are saddened by it, but I think for the most part, folks have been understanding,” Sawyer said. “As many people as would have liked to see a nice fireworks show, if we did it, there would probably be just as many people who would say that it’s not a good way to spend our money.”

The Associated Press contributed to this article.