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County skies to sparkle once again
By JOY DAVIS-PLATT, Times Staff Writer WEEKI WACHEE -- It has been four years since Hernando County's Fourth of July skies sparkled. But the county's Chamber of Commerce plans to bring Independence Day fireworks back today. A $6,500 pyrotechnic display is scheduled for dusk as the highlight of the "Celebrate America Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Celebration," an all-day holiday event at Weeki Wachee Springs. "For years, Hernando County residents have had to go south of the border if they wanted to see fireworks and this is a real opportunity to keep them close to home," said Jacqueline Morris, executive director of the Greater Hernando County Chamber of Commerce. Admission to Weeki Wachee Springs will be free, but there is a charge for the adjacent water park, Buccaneer Bay. About 150 local businesses are expected to participate in the event, which will feature games, food and entertainment. In recent years, drought has prevented public fireworks displays and, as recently as last month, the Hernando County Commission had banned outdoor burning and private fireworks in the entire county. The City of Brooksville recently considered the same course of action until rains picked up. Although the county's burn ban has been lifted, using many types of personal fireworks is still forbidden in the county, said Danny Roberts, interim director of the county's Emergency Management Department. "Anything other than sparklers and things of that nature are illegal," he said. "Things like bottle rockets are out." The event also marks a parting of ways for the chamber and the annual Hernando County Rodeo & Barbecue Festival. The chamber will no longer co-sponsor the October event with the Hernando County Cattleman's Association, but instead will pour its efforts into the July Fourth event. Chamber officials said the event was too taxing on the group's resources. In 1999, the groups merged the Annual Hernando County Cattlemen's Association Rodeo and Hog Wild in Hernando County, a festival featuring a barbecue cookoff sanctioned by the Kansas City Barbecue Society. Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs or blankets for watching the fireworks, Morris said. Because large crowds are expected, off-site parking will be available at Weeki Wachee Village shopping center, and shuttle buses will run to and from the park all day. Fireworks are scheduled to begin at about 9 p.m., Morris said, and should be visible from anywhere in the park and probably along U.S. 19 too. "We intentionally chose a high-ranging display for visibility," she said of the 10-minute display. "It should be very exciting."
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