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June 27, 2016

Strained city budgets snuff out Riverfest fireworks

Flickr user Patrick Riverfest fireworks in 2014

Strained municipal budgets on both sides of the Connecticut River have resulted in the cancellation of Riverfest's July 9 fireworks display, organizers announced.

A three-day food truck festival will still take place as scheduled on July 7-9 at Mortensen Riverfront Plaza.

Hartford Mayor Luke Bronin and East Hartford Mayor Marcia Leclerc sent a joint letter Monday to Riverfest organizer Riverfront Recapture, saying that the two cities could not afford to pay approximately $100,000 in shared costs the two had footed in previous years.

The costs are related to police and EMS staffing of the celebration.

The mayors called the fireworks a valuable regional event and said they hoped the celebration could garner more financial support from other sources in future years.

The nonprofit Riverfront Recapture, which manages three riverfront parks in Hartford and one in East Hartford, said the budget for the Independence Day celebration was further strained by an additional $20,000 in state policing costs.

Those services came free last year, but during this years legislative session, state lawmakers made them billable to event organizers, according to Riverfront.

 

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