Lawrence’s only legal fireworks show will go on, backed largely by the same government that is outlawing fireworks for everyone else in town.

The Lawrence Jaycees will continue their more than 30-year tradition of firing off a licensed, professional pyrotechnics display July 4 from the banks of the Kansas River.

Though the show’s prospects had been fizzling in recent months — the Jaycees had collected less than half the money needed to put on even a minimal show — city officials stepped in this week with a $4,000 grant.

The money will buy about 300 shells, some able to shoot nearly 1,000 feet into the air and spray spark rings, expanding flowers and screaming blasts into the sky above the Kansas River — all while run-of-the-mill Lawrence residents will be prohibited, for the first time, from lighting sparklers, fountains or other fireworks at their own homes.

“Since we are in the first year of a private fireworks ban in Lawrence, it seemed appropriate to make sure that we had the public fireworks go on,” Mayor David Dunfield said Thursday. “Certainly, we have to recognize that there are going to be changes this year in the way people celebrate the Fourth of July in Lawrence. For us to not support either the public or the private fireworks in the same year seemed to be a pretty bitter pill to swallow.

“Four thousand dollars is real money, but it certainly is something we can handle in the contingency funds that are available to us.”

The city’s ban, approved in November, does not affect professionally licensed displays, such as those put on by the Jaycees. Commissioners worried about public safety, noise, litter and trash were careful not to snuff out the ability to conduct a public show that thousands of Lawrence-area residents have come to expect.

‘Working hard’

Fireworks like these will again fill the skies above the Kansas River July 4, thanks in part to the city's ,000 contribution. The Lawrence Jaycees, who have put on the city's pyrotechnic display for more than 30 years, are still in need of contributions to pay for this year's show.

But commissioners hadn’t accounted for a fizzling economy or skyrocketing insurance costs. Just last month, those same factors prompted cancellation of the scheduled Independence Day fireworks extravaganza at Perry Lake that last year drew an estimated 100,000 people.

Without help from Lawrence City Hall, the Jaycees would have been forced to cancel their show, too. Until Thursday, the service club had collected only $2,500 for fireworks, compared with last year’s $8,000. They’re also hesitant to charge admission for the show.

Now organizers say they’ll be able to put together a “bare bones”-but-patriotic celebration in the usual spots: Burcham and Constant parks along the south bank of the river, where thousands of people gather to toss Frisbees, enjoy picnics and soak up the high-flying entertainment.

Any additional donations could help pay for a band and defray operational costs, such as renting portable toilets, said Gary Saathoff, acting president for the 25-member club.

“We’ll just get smaller shells and cut out the bigger shells,” Saathoff said. “Bigger is definitely more shock and awe, and it’s a whole lot prettier to look at, but with these tough economic times — not just for the city or the Jaycees, but everybody — we’re all working hard to put on a show.”

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The Jaycees aren’t the only ones struggling to line up community support.

Future unclear

Whether the fireworks festivities will continue beyond this year remains unclear. The Jaycees intend to start collecting fireworks money as soon as this summer, as much to pay off an expected $1,000 overrun this year as to get ahead for 2004.

But Dunfield said any request for city help next year could be a dud.

“I am concerned about the idea that this is going to somehow be a standard city expense,” said Dunfield, who noted that the city also kicked in $4,000 last year to make the program a $12,000 show. “It’s not intended to be that.”