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Irving preparing to scrap July 4th parade, keep fireworks show due to coronavirus

Fireworks will likely move from Lake Carolyn to an undisclosed location to prevent residents from violating social distancing guidelines.

The City of Irving is preparing to alter — but not cancel — its plans for this year’s July 4th celebrations in light of the coronavirus pandemic.

At a budget and strategic planning meeting of the Irving City Council last week, a majority of council members showed support for a proposal by Parks and Recreation Director Joe Moses to scrap the traditional July 4th parade but keep the fireworks show.

Moses told council members the arrival of the pandemic and subsequent economic shutdown hit the parks department around the time when arrangements for the festivities were being made. As such, he added that they’re now months behind where they should be in planning a normal July 4th celebration.

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“We don’t have enough time to do all of those things, all of those steps we’d normally when preparing for our two events,” he said, referring to the parade and fireworks show.

Moses also highlighted that a crowded parade could fall out of step with current healthy habits.

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“There’s simply no way for us to have social distancing at our parades,” he added.

In a phone call later with The Dallas Morning News, Moses described the task of finding a way to have the celebrate together amid the pandemic as “threading a needle blindfolded.”

“Everything we do focuses on bringing people together, so now we’re trying to figure out how do you celebrate and keep people connected without physically bringing them together,” he said. “To do that in this environment, it’s tricky. You don’t want to give a false sense of security and bring people together in an unsafe way.”

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Instead of holding the parade and large pre-fireworks party, the parks department is considering a virtual event, maybe with footage of old parades, Moses said. He added that concert entertainment will likely be included.

The fireworks are unlikely to be held on Lake Carolyn, which has frequently hosted the Independence Day celebrations, Moses said. He said its location near residences and gathering spaces would encourage spectators to stand in groups to watch, violating social distancing guidelines.

“We don’t want to do that and attract a lot of people,” he said, "so we’re actually talking about doing something from an undisclosed location and then broadcasting it.”

Moses said they’re looking at a couple of options that won’t be disclosed to the public until closer to the holiday. When they announce the location, they will recommend where spectators can watch from their cars. The fireworks may also be streamed online, like the warmup event.

Irving isn’t the only city in North Texas to change its Independence Day plans. Richardson canceled its Family 4th of July celebration, and Moses said Bedford, Hurst and Lewisville have scrapped planned festivities while The Colony, Grapevine and Plano are keeping some version of their fireworks shows.

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