Lawrence Fourth of July: Fireworks planned for July 3 this year

Last updated: 11:30 a.m. Thursday, June 30

Unless the weather is bad, the city’s Fourth of July community celebration and fireworks show will fall on Sunday, July 3 this year.

The fireworks display will again be held at Shenk Sports Complex at 23rd and Iowa streets, according to a news release from the city.

Family-friendly activities will start at 5:30 p.m. at the Dole Institute of Politics.

Live performances at the Lied Center will begin at 6 p.m. with Tyler Gregory. The Black Creatures will perform at 7:15 p.m., followed by Ellie LeBar at 8:30. There will also be concessions and food trucks onsite.

The fireworks show will start at approximately 9:45 p.m.

The city posted this map, which indicates in green where public parking and viewing areas are available. The red area is restricted. Restrooms are available at the Dole Institute and the Lied Center.

fireworksmap22

Monday, July 4 will be the rain date. The City of Lawrence will share more information and updates via social media and at this link.

Baldwin City’s celebration — featuring live music, food trucks, a beer garden and a kids’ zone — is set for Saturday, July 2. Find more information at this link.

Eudora’s fireworks will begin at dusk on Monday, July 4.

Closures and other info:

• Solid waste pickup: Trash and recycling collection will be delayed by one day, so regular Monday residential customers will be picked up on Tuesday, and so on. There will be no yard waste collection or bulk item pickups throughout the holiday week. There will be no roll-off services or cart/dumpster swaps, deliveries or maintenance on Monday or Saturday.

• Parking: Parking at meters, lots and garages will be free on Monday, July 4. (Remember, the New Hampshire Street garage will close temporarily beginning Tuesday, July 5.)

• Transit: There will be no Lawrence Transit fixed-route or paratransit bus service on July 4.

• Parks and Rec: The Community Building, Prairie Park Nature Center, Sports Pavilion Lawrence, and Holcom Park and East Lawrence recreation centers will be closed Monday, July 4. Unified Day Camp will not be held Monday or Tuesday, July 4 or 5. See more information about specific recreation programs at this link.

• Swimming: The Outdoor Aquatic Center at Seventh and Kentucky will be open from 1 to 6 p.m. Monday, and the South Park Wading Pool will be closed. The Indoor Aquatic Center will be open for lap swimming from 6:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. and warm water workouts from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Monday.

• The Lawrence Public Library will be closed Sunday and Monday, July 3 and 4. The library will reopen at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, July 5. The digital library is open 24/7.

Know the law:

Most fireworks are illegal within Lawrence city limits. However, these types of novelty items are allowed: party poppers, snappers, snakes, glow worms, sparklers, toy caps and toy smoke devices.

The City of Lawrence also shared this reminder: “If a veteran lives in your neighborhood, be a good neighbor and think about the implications fireworks can have on their celebration and daily routine. An estimated 7% to 20% of the more than 2.5 million veterans and troops who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan are believed to have developed PTSD. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, loud blasts and flashing lights can sometimes induce panic attacks. PTSD is characterized by emotionally re-experiencing traumatic events. The thoughts are triggered for combat veterans by the sound of an explosion or gunfire, or even certain sights and smells, according to the Institute of Medicine.”

In areas of unincorporated Douglas County, fireworks may be lit during the following hours, with the property owner’s permission and supervision:

• 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and Saturday, July 1-2
• 7 a.m. to midnight Sunday and Monday, July 3-4

Fireworks should not be discharged on a public street or roadway, according to the county.

Keep in mind this map posted by the county, of where fireworks are and aren’t allowed at Lone Star Lake Park. The map follows the same hours above for when fireworks are and are not allowed; however, fireworks are not allowed in any of the red-shaded areas.

“Fireworks are permitted only in signed designated areas. Fireworks are not permitted on any other Lone Star Park lands, including the campground and beach areas,” according to the county.

fireworks-lone-star-lake

If you are going to be blowing stuff up, please keep these basic safety tips in mind.

Pet owners, here’s some advice the Lawrence Humane Society posted last year:

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A post shared by Lawrence Humane Society (@lawrencehumane)

We’ll add all our Fourth of July info into this post — if there are more updates, they’ll show up here.

Note: This post was originally published at 6 a.m. June 22. We’ve updated the post time to make it show up on the front page of our site again since quite a bit of new information was added.

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