Does Lions Park Still Work for July 4 Celebration?

One-hundred-degree temperatures and the mid-week holiday kept some people away from July 4 festivities in this year, said the chairman of Urbandale's Fourth of July Celebration committee.

However, long-time vendors at the event also blamed declining crowds and revenues on the fact that the committee moved the fireworks to in 2011. 

"This is the worst year it's ever been," said Larry Fyfe, of Norwalk, who operates Fyfe Concessions. He had three food stands at the carnival and has been selling at the Urbandale Fourth of July celebrations for nearly a dozen years.

"It's going to hurt more every year," he said. "Unless something changes, the celebration is circling the drain."

Larry Jablonski, chairman of the citizen committee that plans the celebration, said the committee's share of profits from the carnival in Lions Park was down 28 percent or about $5,000. 

"We're very dependent on weather. The weather is the biggest factor in terms of our income," said Jablonski, who has been on the committee for about 15 years. 

No Danger for Next Year's Celebration

Jablonski said the smaller income won't affect next year's celebration because the committee has a large enough savings account. However, the committee is working to gain status as a non-profit group so it can apply for grants to supplement income.

Last year, when July 4 was a Monday holiday, the committee's carnival proceeds were more than $17,000. That's partly because the carnival was open for three full days, instead of two nights and one day as it was this year. 

For years, the city's July 4 celebration was centered at Lions Park. Families would arrive early to get a good viewing spot for the fireworks , which were shot from the parking lot of . Residents would spend much of the day at the park, enjoying music at the bandshell, riding carnival rides, and buying food and drink from vendors.

However, because of remodeling at the high school, the fireworks had to be moved down Aurora Avenue to . Then when the middle school was remodeled, neither school's insurance would allow fireworks to be shot off there.

Jablonski said the committee studied the issue for a year before deciding that Walker Johnston Park was the best location for fireworks. 

He said the committee didn't move the carnival, partly because of the tradition of having at Lions Park and partly because he didn't think it was physically possible to set it up in the parking lot there because they would be too close to fireworks. 

Vendors Make Less Money

Another vendor, Naomi Wilkerson, said, "There's nothing here to draw people. They need to get something back to draw the crowd here."

Even the Boy Scouts are affected. Troop 43 has been selling shaved ice, popcorn and cotton candy at the celebration for years.

"The Fourth of July was always our night, but when they switched the fireworks, it hurt the vendors," said Kurt Heinrich, troop treasurer.

"We're going to be here, just because over the years we've accumulated the equipment, but it's not making the money our Scouts could earn."

He said the troop divides the profits among Scouts and their parents who work the stand, by the number of hours they work. Scouts used to earn $7 to $8 an hour. Now they earn about $5 an hour, he said.

The celebration has three key income streams: a percentage of the carnival profits, the sale of Urbandale Fourth of July buttons, and vendor fees.

"We're well aware the vendors' income has gone down," said Jablonski.

For that reason, the committee hasn't raised vendor fees in five years. He added that the committee still has a waiting of list of vendors wanting to get into the carnival.