Fulton community members held fourth of July peace festival to reduce fireworks violence
FULTON, Mo. (KMIZ)
Members of the Fulton community with the help of the Fulton Police Department organized a firework festival on Sunday in Carver Park.
Hundreds of people gathered at the park for a basketball tournament, rap battles, a car show, food and drinks and to end it all, a firework show.
The festival was organized by locals in the community, city officials and law enforcement to stop people from shooting fireworks at each other.
In previous years members of the community in Fulton, Columbia and Mexico Missouri would participate in fireworks wars on and around the Fourth of July holiday. Firework wars are battles with roman candles, missiles, and other fireworks.
The festival was in response to the City of Fulton creating an ordinance limiting the hours and places people are able to shoot fireworks.
This year the city of allows people to shoot fireworks on the 3rd, 4th, and 5th of July.
Lieutenant Bill Ladwig with Fulton PD said Fulton received around 50 fireworks disturbance calls a night over the holiday.
Ladwig told KMIZ the holiday was relatively quiet for the department. Ladwig said he was thankful to members of the community for organizing a safe and productive holiday event.
"That was a success, they had probably around 500 people that filtered in and out of the park all day. That really helped mitigate any issues in town and thanks to the citizens that just worked together, came together and showed some Fulton pride," Ladwig said.
Organizers told KMIZ they wanted to hold the event to take away some of the stigma on Carver Park.
Derek Weaver, one of the organizers said he felt like he accomplished his goal to help keep people safe and occupied this fourth of July holiday.
"We prevented a firework war, or anybody getting hurt. Also with the help of the city administrators and local police we all worked together and they gave us room to do what we wanted to do, but still have a good time with everybody in a safe manner," Weaver said.
Organizers and members of the community had the park cleaned by noon today.
