Hopes for a fireworks display over Canterbury Village this summer went up in smoke when the Orion Township Board of Trustees denied a request from the Lake Orion Lions Club.
The Lions, who are relocating their annual Jubilee Festival to Canterbury this year due to a large streetscape project planned for downtown Lake Orion, hoped to use Civic Center Park as a launch area for a fireworks display of their own.
The Jubilee is scheduled for June 24-27.
The issue first came to the board at the April 7 meeting, but trustees postponed a vote so the Lions could address a number of safety and liability issues raised by Orion Township Fire Chief Jeff Key, township attorney Dan Kelly and other staff members.
‘We never thought we would run into these problems, we never anticipated this,? said Lions first vice president Joe Hildebrand, returning to the board April 19. ‘But we fully understand’the fire issue is the most important thing, (there’s a risk) no matter where you hold fireworks.?
Hildebrand also said the club was doubtful it could meet manpower demands to staff the fallout area.
‘We signed the contract pending approval of the township board, so if we don’t get the approval, obviously we won’t have the fireworks,? he said.
They didn’t get approval.
Township Supervisor Matthew Gibb asked about ‘rumors of a laser light show? as an alternative, but Hildebrand said while the idea had been tossed around, it was not a certainty.
Gibb, who said he was open to approving the Lions? Club fireworks in the future if logistical and safety issued were solved, also noted he’s been approached recently by a number of businesses and others connected to the annual fireworks display over Lake Orion.
‘The business community in the village approached me and said ‘How dare you sell us out and sponsor a show in the township? and I said ‘Hold on, we’re not sponsoring it’we’re just trying to help out.??
Trustee JoAnn VanTassle praised the Lions and indicated her hopes of helping ensure a successful event.
‘If the Lions Club is able to secure the necessary funding for some other type of display that does not cause any potential for fire or other kinds of damage, is the board open to approving something like that, even though it might be short notice?? she asked.
Both Gibb and Clerk Penny Shults responded in an affirmative manner.
‘Absolutely,? said Shults.