ROY, Utah (KUTV) — The Roy City Council voted to cancel its fireworks show for its annual Roy Days festival.
In an announcement posted to social media, Councilmember Jason Sphar said the council “made the difficult decision,” citing concerns such as severe drought conditions, budget, and “escalating safety concerns regarding the fireworks show attracting gang-related activity from neighboring cities.”
Sphar said Roy City Police officers expressed concerns that gang members from nearby cities, such as Ogden, would attend the fireworks show.
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“The shooting a while back and numerous arrests done during the Roy Days over the past few years were apparently mostly gang members from Ogden,” Sphar said. “The officer I talked to last night speculates that since Roy’s fireworks are the last city fireworks before school starts, it attracts kids from other cities to attend. I don’t know if that’s the real reason, but that’s the officer’s opinion on the matter.”
Sphar said the council considered hosting a drone show in place of fireworks but said it would cost more than traditional fireworks. He added that there was also an issue with the city’s proximity to the Ogden Regional Airport.
He also added that the fireworks show had moved to the golf course by order of the fire marshal after a firework detonated lower than intended. The fire marshal required the city to move the fireworks show to a place with a “larger fallout zone” to ensure public safety.
“We understand that this new location is unpopular, because it has limited parking, which has made it more difficult for residents living further from the golf course to attend.”
The Roy Days festival is still scheduled to run from July 17 to August 1 and will still host several other planned events. However, Sphar added that the council is also considering canceling the Friday Roy Days events with some council members working to save the Salmon Bake event.
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