Will drought or air quality affect Peoria fireworks shows? Here's what to know

Cassidy Waigand, Journal Star
·4 min read
The Red, White and Boom fireworks display, usually held July 4, lights the skies above Peoria and East Peoria.
The Red, White and Boom fireworks display, usually held July 4, lights the skies above Peoria and East Peoria.

In Peoria, multiple firework displays are set to take place in the coming days.

Glen Oak Park is scheduled to host its "Third of July" fireworks show. The event has been a tradition for over 50 years, according to Peoria Park District Executive Director Emily Cahill. On the riverfront, the 35th annual "Red, White & BOOM" show is planned to start at 9:30 p.m. on July 4.

As each event draws closer, though, questions linger: Will the area’s weather or air quality affect these events?

More: Enjoy Fourth of July fireworks? Here's where to celebrate Independence Day around July 4th

When will decisions on the fireworks be made?

City of Peoria Fire Chief Shawn Sollberger said he expects to have a final determination on firework shows by Saturday, July 1. However, both he and Cahill said they expect the events to continue.

Any updates can be found on city or Peoria Park District websites and social media pages, which include:

How will the drought impact the fireworks?

The U.S. Drought Monitor listed the region as being in a severe drought in late June.

Sollberger said the region was short around eight inches of rain in June. If severe drought conditions continue, Sollberger said events would be canceled.

“Adverse weather like wind and rain – that’s a different story,” He said. “But if it was drought conditions, they were going to be canceled. There would be no makeup date.”

Moving into the weekend, Sollberger said the department will get “a better pulse” on what the drought conditions will be. Both he and Cahill said the recent rain has likely improved the situation, though.

The Red, White and BOOM display takes place on a barge in the middle of the Illinois River, where Cahill said drought conditions are slightly less of a concern.

For Cahill and Sollberger, the Glen Oak fireworks event would pose a greater threat if dry conditions persisted.

“We're basically shooting fireworks off in a forest, which isn't great regardless of our conditions outside,” Sollberger said.

Sollberger said there had been a high chance that the Glen Oak event would be canceled before the recent rain. Cahill said she and staff have been anxiously watching drought conditions.

The recent rain – which is forecasted to continue through the weekend – has helped ease concerns.

“At this point the weather looks like it's going to cooperate and make for two really nice days to celebrate our country,” Cahill said.

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How will air quality impact fireworks?

The Peoria Park District recently canceled multiple events and closed various facilities from June 27 through June 29 because of air quality concerns.

Smoke from the Canadian wildfires affected much of the area throughout the week. The air was listed as “unhealthy” on June 27 and “very unhealthy” on June 28, according to AirNow.

“I didn't even know what purple meant until like Tuesday afternoon,” Cahill said. “And so now, we're certainly monitoring that.”

Cahill said safety of guests, as well as those shooting off the fireworks, is the park district’s primary concern. Much of the smoke had cleared by Friday, though, with a forecast for Saturday placing Peoria at a “moderate” air quality level.

Sollberger said the rain of the past few days seems to have impacted the air quality “in a positive way.”

“Knowing that eventually the rain’s going to end, we're going to have to continue to monitor how (the air quality is) going,” he said.

Should the air quality levels move into a dangerous level once more, Cahill said the Fourth of July show would be postponed for July 5. The same would be true for other shorter-term weather events – such as rain or dangerously strong winds.

If the Third of July event could not continue, Cahill said the park district would probably look for future events where the fireworks could be used. She said the event would not “compete” with the riverfront event.

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Other safety concerns

In the end, Sollberger said he does expect the firework events to take place.

He encouraged people to come out and watch the displays, rather than shoot off their own fireworks. Aside from being illegal in the area, he said doing so would create greater risks for the community.

“Our biggest recommendation to the community and to keep the public safe is don't let off additional fireworks,” Sollberger said. “Take the time - bring your family out - enjoy the display that both entities have paid for.”

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Fireworks in Peoria could be affected by drought, air quality