PACIFIC PALISADES—According to Race President Brian Shea and Parade President Matthew Rodman, the annual Fourth of July festivities were canceled due to the COVID-19 to limit the spread, as reported by Palisadian-Post on Monday, May 11.
The following canceled festivities include Palisades Will Rogers 5 & 10K, Palisades Rocks the Fourth concert and fireworks, and the 72nd annual Palisades Parade. Although, the Patriotic Home Decorating Contest will still take place along with WWII fighter planes flying over the area on July 4 at 2 p.m. The parade committee will be working on other alternatives to continue celebrations for the Fourth of July approaches.
The letter states, “The health and safety of our community is paramount, and the limits on large social gatherings necessitates this difficult decision. While we’ll have many more Independence Days to celebrate, today we must all do our part to safeguard the health of our community.”
Although July Fourth is not on the calendar for another two months, cities such as Knoxville, Seaside, and others have been cancelled in July following the outbreak. The Brunswick County July 4th festival in North Carolina was cancelled for the first time after 225 years of tradition.
“I think this is a little bit premature, it’s still three months away. Some of these festivals are what cities need to survive,” a business owner says in Southport, North Carolina.
There have been questions and concerns among residents on why the decision has been made.
