by Anna Shoup, Local/National Editor, Online NewsHour, http://newshour.pbs.org, http://twitter.com/newshour
Posted: 07.03.2009 / 8:15 AM PDT
A party, even to celebrate America’s independence, just didn’t make it into the spending plan in parts of Patchwork Nation.
Nixa, Mo., a socially conservative “Evangelical Epicenter,” ended a 22-year tradition when it canceled its Sky High Fourth of July, a fireworks display. The city’s $4,000 share of the $12,000 price tag was too high for the city to cover.
“We still have to turn the lights on and pay the utility bills,” said Sharon Whitehill Gray, president of the Nixa Area Chamber of Commerce, in an interview with OzarksFirst.com.
There is some disappointment, says John Schmalzbauer, a Patchwork Nation blogger in Nixa. It doesn’t help that the longer-running “Firefall: A Concert in the Sky” in nearby Springfield was canceled as well.
“Many folks in the area are going to the James River Assembly’s ‘I Love America’ event on July 3,” writes Mr. Schmalzbauer in an e-mail. “JRA is an Assemblies of God megachurch. In past years, this event has attracted over 100,000 people (110,000 in 2005).” He also notes that Democratic Gov. Jay Nixon is scheduled to speak at the event.
“It is a mark of the Ozarks’ Bible Belt location that the largest fireworks show in the region is sponsored by a church,” Schmalzbauer adds.
No doubt, the economy has put a damper on many July 4 celebrations, including Nixa’s, this year. The high cost of fireworks displays isn’t making the cut as cities struggle to balance their budgets.
Tuscon, Ariz.; Monterey, Calif.; and Reno, Nev., are a few examples among many where the fireworks have been nixed.
But not everywhere.
Other cities in Patchwork Nation are doing fine, at least when it comes to July 4. The parade and fireworks under the iconic arch in St. Louis – a big-city “Industrial Metropolis” – will go on as usual this year.
Eric Madkins, a resident in the St. Louis area, says the cost of gasoline has discouraged him from driving to visit relatives, even in nearby states.
“For July 4, I will spend the weekend with my family. It will be a ‘staycation,’ ” Mr. Madkins writes in an e-mail. “The current economic conditions give way to creativity. Staying ‘home’ gives a middle-class family such as mine (wife: schoolteacher and me: nonprofit management/three kids) reason to be thankful and appreciate the ‘simple things’ during these rough times.”
For many people this year, July 4 means a three-day weekend. Typically, it’s one of the busiest travel weekends. But because of the recent jump in gasoline prices, the number of road trips will fall by 2.6 percent from 2008, AAA predicts.
This time last year, the average US cost of a gallon of unleaded gasoline was about $4.11. On July 2 of this year, it is just $2.62. But that is a rise from a few months ago: It was $2.14 at the beginning of May.
What the holiday is really about
In Hampton Roads, Va., a “Military Bastion” in Patchwork Nation, many residents view the holiday not just as the Fourth of July, but as Independence Day.
Amy Yarsinske, a resident of nearby Norfolk, Va., says her husband was recalled to active duty in Bahrain for a year, and this will be the only chance for him to be at home for a while.
“The holiday will be a reminder that freedom isn’t free and we all, in some way, should not forget that on this holiday weekend,” Ms. Yarsinske writes in an e-mail.
Kerry Dougherty, a columnist for The Virginian-Pilot, adds in an e-mail: “We plant little flags around our yard, cook out with friends, and go to the beach. At the end of the day, we head back for the city’s firework display over the Atlantic. This year, I’ll be sending special thoughts to a friend, Cpl. Joe Tarkett, who’s bravely serving in Afghanistan.”
Read about more Independence Day activities in Hampton Roads.