Lake Monticello votes to end July 4 fireworks

County says it does not contemplate hosting fireworks event either

By Heather Michon
Correspondent

Lake Monticello will not be holding its annual Fourth of July fireworks starting in 2025.

The Board of Directors voted 7-0 to cancel the fireworks a month after Lake Police Chief David Wells raised serious concerns about the safety of the event. The vote took place at the end of its monthly meeting on Thursday night (Sept. 26)

In August, Wells said the association lacked the resources to adequately protect the thousands of people congregating near the Main Beach the night of the event. He shared a list of concerns, ranging from inadequate parking to a limited security presence to the poor infrastructure that would prevent evacuating crowds in the case of an emergency. “I just don’t think 15 minutes of fireworks are worth that,” he said.

The association has spent weeks gaming out solutions to parking, on-site security, and changes to the Main Beach’s infrastructure, and looked at adding an additional $20,000 to the event budget.

The association also took a poll, receiving about 1,400 responses from residents. While 58 percent of respondents said they wanted the fireworks, 62 percent thought that the $35,000 price tag was too high.

The association also received warnings from legal counsel and insurers that the measures under consideration likely would not be enough to mitigate the risks.

The directors had little choice to act now, as contracts with the fireworks company had to be signed in October to secure a show on July 2, 2025.

It was a difficult vote.

“The role of the board is not simply to reflect the desires of the residents,” said Gary Sellick. “Its primary function is to maintain the financial and legal stability of the organization. It is for that reason, and that reason alone, that I will not be voting to approve the fireworks contract this year.”

“I love the Fourth of July,” said Chair Larry Henson. “This is hard.”

He said he would not be able to rest if people were injured – or worse – during the celebration. Nor did he see a way to fairly limit access to the Main Beach area to 500-600 people. This would limit the fireworks to those few Lake residents with lakefront property, boats, or the lucky few who could secure a spot on the beach.

While the fireworks will not be held, all other Fourth of July family events will continue. “I know we will put our heads together with the community,” said Johnny Williamson. “There could be a lot of fun stuff we are already doing and continue to do, and add to it.”

Jenny Richardson said it made more sense for Fluvanna County to host the event at Pleasant Grove, since they have parking and resources to manage a large event, with the Lake picking up the tab for the fireworks. 

“I really want to put the pressure on the Board of Supervisors to make this happen in the coming years because this is something that should be shared throughout Fluvanna County,” she said.

However, in a statement on Monday (Sept. 30,) County Administrator Eric Dahl made it clear this is not something they are interested in taking on.

“Fluvanna County understands the difficult decision the Lake Monticello Owners Association faced when deciding the future of its annual 4th of July fireworks display,” he said. “Sharing similar concerns regarding public safety, staffing, parking, and crowd control, as well as the significant traffic congestion of a major state road (Rt. 53), the County is not contemplating hosting the fireworks display.”