Dearborn Beach Bash Cancelled Due to Budget Woes
Dearborn Police Enforce ‘Zero Tolerance’ Policy on Illegal Fireworks
Fans of Camp Dearborn’s annual Beach Bash will have to find a new place to view fireworks.
Fireworks go off over the lake at last year's Camp Dearborn Beach Bash.
Dearborn’s budget situation has forced cancellation of the fireworks show at Camp Dearborn, originally scheduled for July 2.
“Unfortunately, the Beach Bash was cancelled because of the budget situation,” a spokeswoman for the city said. “We will save about $24,500 by not holding the event this year.”
Separately, Dearborn Police are reminding residents that they will be enforcing the city’s “zero tolerance” policy regarding the illegal and unsafe sale and use of fireworks.
“Each year, we see cases of personal injury and damage to property when people use illegal fireworks,” said Police Chief Ron Haddad. “City ordinances prohibit the sale and use of illegal fireworks, or the unsafe use of legal fireworks.”
Police officers will respond to fireworks complaints. Adults found to be violating the city’s fireworks ordinances will be ticketed.
Officers will not issue warnings for fireworks use.
Parents whose children are found to be violating fireworks ordinance may also be ticketed under the city’s parental responsibility ordinance.
Both cases are misdemeanor offenses, carrying a maximum penalty of 90 days in jail and/or a $500 fine.
In all cases, illegal fireworks will be confiscated.
To report fireworks in your neighborhood, call the Police at 943-2201.
June 25th, 2011 at 4:34 pm
Finally something logical is coming out of the Mayors Office. Donate the saved expense to fix up one of the pools for the kids, or is this money that is going to be needed for the lawsuits against the courts.
June 25th, 2011 at 9:33 pm
Great idea Abe now if they will just cancel Homecoming and donate that ADDITIONAL money to the pools and library!! Wonder where they have targeted that money to go?
June 26th, 2011 at 4:15 am
I appreciate the cost cutting measures, but I wonder if that figure accounts for lost revenue of people not going to the camp that otherwise would have. And why not give people a chance to pay for the show? Double the weekend rate, add an extra fee for the weekly campers, triple gate admission for the day. I think you’d get just about as many people there and be able to pay for the fireworks.
Increasing revenue won’t work for everything, but it shouldn’t be dismissed as a possibility either.
June 26th, 2011 at 3:44 pm
Trust me the money thats being saved is being set aside for the stupid decisions made by the Mayor and Mr. Peepers (Judge Somers). Forget the kids, they are paying for Boss Hogg and Pee Wee Somers’ errors in judgement — its a crying shame. Make sure they pay when they run again, don’t have short memories.
June 26th, 2011 at 8:36 pm
No problem—folks who want to see fireworks can just come to my west side neighborhood where the term “zero tolerance” apparently escapes translation.. And, oh yes, we have called police in the past. They just never show up. On the bright side, if any of these major league fireworks should set our house on fire, we’ll at least get more money for our house than we would otherwise.
June 26th, 2011 at 9:17 pm
How about we ask Terry Jones and company to come to town and sit in a dunk tank, declared a free-speech zone, at Homecoming. He can yell anti-radical Islam statements and we charge $5.00 for three shoe throws at Terry and and fifty cents for three shoe throws at his sidekick.
All the money earned goes to save the pools.
June 27th, 2011 at 11:23 am
Nice advance notice for the campers and people that plan their vacations around the 4th of July to spend the week at Camp Dearborn!! I don’t disagree with not having the fireworks due to budget constrants, but lets give the people enough notice to make their own dicision if they want to be at Camp during this time. Shame on city hall for not telling anyone up to this point. Are they going to give refunds? Lets see where the savings of $24,500 will show up in the budget or for next year when we have to continue to fight to keep the pools open year after year!
June 27th, 2011 at 1:28 pm
DearbornDisbeliever – It is not just West Dearborn that the police ignore when it comes to firecrackers.
We live in East Deaborn and. in past years, we have seen fireworks that rival Greenfield Village and Homecoming.
We have called the police but they never seem to see them. I find that amazing since some of them light up the whole sky. All the police have to do is look up.
Every year, the same warnings come out from the City and, every year, we just laugh because nothing is ever done.
I’m with you. If they touch my house, not only will I collect the insurance money but I will sue the city for non compliance with their own policies.
June 27th, 2011 at 5:55 pm
How about including O’Reilly in that tank?
June 28th, 2011 at 12:20 am
Government can no longer afford fireworks displays – business and volunteers must fund them here on out. Too bad, fireworks really bring families together. Guess kids are will have more time to follow Antonin Scalia’s ruling, and exercise their right to stay home and play some violent video game instead.
June 28th, 2011 at 1:59 am
Zero tolerance? Each year the east end looks like a war zone on the 4th of July. There is zero tolerance for not firing up the neighborhood, scud fireworks and all
June 28th, 2011 at 4:25 am
I don’t know how much this was meant tongue-in-cheek, but I think you have really hit on an idea. For the other side, you could have some of these Arab-American ‘community leaders’ in a dunk tank, and those who wished could throw some appropriate patriotic symbol to knock them in the tank. We might raise enough to reopen the pools AND the libraries…and just maybe, if Terry Jones and these other clowns soak their heads enough, maybe some more sense will soak in, as well.
June 29th, 2011 at 12:12 am
I agree with you rudedog, and not only that i thought camp had its own budget, and had been making money for the last 3 years at least. Now their gonna use that money for this mess too.
June 30th, 2011 at 11:01 pm
Abe you were correct. Pee Wee Herman look-alike Mark Somers cost the residents a cool million dollars this afternoon. He lost another lawsuit, and the residents should have the right to impeach the little Hitler wannabe. Throw the bum out, we can’t afford the way he runs our local courts.
July 2nd, 2011 at 12:20 am
Camp may be making money but the golf course eats it right up.
July 5th, 2011 at 4:18 am
Its July 5th now, about 12:15 am still hear fireworks going off 9in my neighborhood. Zero tolarence, Yeh right,don’t tell me the police can’t hear them going off oh wait air one and windows rolled up what was I thinking.
July 5th, 2011 at 11:31 am
Well another 4th gone by. And What a firework show we had in our neighborhood. So much for ZERO TOLERANCE!! Then driving through Dearborn this morning, piles of fireworks are on the streets for garbage pick up. Were are the police at when they should be writing cititations/tickets for these offenders. Unbelievable!
July 6th, 2011 at 4:29 pm
July 6, 2011 FLAT ROCK: An $800,000 grant brings city one step closer to regional bike trail. In the news. Why can our City, paid officials, not do the same for the Pools in our City?? S.O.P. !!!!!
July 9th, 2011 at 10:54 pm
Newsflash: “Fourth of July Comes and Goes Again in Dearborn; No Houses Burn, Nobody Puts An Eye Out!” In other stories: “Hardly Anyone Late For Work On The Fifth Because They Were Unable To Sleep Due To Amateur Pyrotechnicians!” More at eleven.
July 10th, 2011 at 3:23 am
What is the next thing they will cancel or close? After we pay Mark Sommer’s tab of two million and counting, what closes? Let’s see….the branch libraries, pools, golf course? What’s left?
How about Sommers gets out his own checkbook and pays back some of those taxpayer dollars he’s lived off of for years? We sure didn’t get our money’s worth.
Worst judge in Michigan history. He makes us look like fools.
Next time you see him, ask him for your money back.
So, exactly why did the mayor support this guy, with all these lawsuits pending? Maybe the mayor should chip in too on these verdicts?
Where’s the city council during all of this?
How can we afford any more of Sommers?
July 19th, 2011 at 12:06 pm
Do you think for one second Hubbard would have canceled the fireworks for a measly $25K? Not in a million years. If Knoop were still alive he’d have made one call to Village Ford and you’d have had the Village Ford 2011 Fireworks. No excuse.
Even bigger no excuse is selling out the Camp and THEN, 2 weeks before the fireworks cancel them as if they were ever going to take place in the first place.
The City really make a huge mistake with this move. We will NEVER visit Camp Dearborn again.