Batavia hopes to resume July 4 fireworks

BATAVIA – Mayor Jeff Schielke is hoping that Batavia’s Fourth of July fireworks show will return this year, but that is going to depend on whether the COVID-19 pandemic is brought under control.

The popular fireworks program, which attracts thousands of revelers to the Batavia High School athletic grounds and surrounding area, was canceled last year as the pandemic raged.

The mayor said he has been receiving many inquiries from residents asking if the fireworks show will resume in 2021.

“I have no answer at the moment,” Schielke told the Batavia City Council on April 5.

With vaccination efforts well underway, many are looking ahead for a return to normal, but the recent spike in Kane County’s COVID-19 positivity rate to 6.7% is tempering those expectations.

For the Batavia fireworks show to return this year, that rate will need to decline.

“It’s going to be dependent on the state restrictions at the time,” City Administrator Laura Newman said. “We’re hoping we have sufficient vaccinations by then and stay out in front of the new COVID strains.”

The annual fireworks show is a point of pride in Batavia. A community tradition since 1950, the program is funded not through tax dollars but with donations and fundraising efforts including the spring Citywide Garage Sale.

The homes of residents who register for the garage sale are identified on a map published by the city for the designated event weekend. Residents participating in the sale pay a fee, which goes to help fund the fireworks show.

The garage sale is set for April 30 and May 1.

Schielke said that with so many Batavians spending more time at home during the pandemic, basements and garages have been cleaned out and potential sale items identified.

About 40 homes already have registered for the garage sale, Schielke said.

Meanwhile, with the return of warm weather, the city is preparing for another season of outdoor dining to help restaurants through the pandemic.

The city is closing off the first block of North River Street and the first block of South Water Street to vehicle traffic and installing tables, seating and decorative lighting to attract diners.

At the same time, the pandemic is creating a new uncertainty for the city, this one on the legal front.

The question is whether the winners of the April 6 municipal election may take the oath of office virtually or if they must attend the May 3 City Council meeting in person.

The City Council has been using a hybrid model for its meetings and many aldermen have elected to stay home and participate virtually through a computer connection.

Schielke, who serves as chairman of the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning’s Council of Mayors, said there seems to be disagreement among municipal leaders throughout the region whether an elected official may take the oath of office virtually.

The mayor directed Batavia City Attorney Roman Seckel to research the question and report his findings to the council.