Hiram Cancels Friday's Fireworks

Updated 3:47 p.m. Wednesday

Hiram officials a few minutes ago announced they were postponing Friday’s “Red, White and Boom” event.

According to a news release from the city, the event will be rescheduled on a future date and will announce that new date once it is selected.

Return here for further updates on this weekend’s events.

Original story

Wednesday’s rainy weather and the threat of it continuing has led nearby communities to cancel or postpone their Fourth of July events. Organizers of two local Independence Day weekend events, however, say they continue to plan to hold their events.

Related news: 

• Powder Springs' Independence Day Celebration Postponed
• Douglasville Cancels Fourth of July Parade
• Find Fireworks for Fourth of July in 2013 Around Dallas, Hiram

Hiram’s fifth-annual fireworks celebration is scheduled for Friday at Ben Hill Strickland Sr. Memorial Park. Robbie Rokovitz, Hiram’s city manager, said Wednesday morning that as of now, the event is still on, with a decision expected to be made Friday morning.

“I know that is practically last minute,” Rokovitz said in an email to Dallas-Hiram Patch. “But we are more focused on the volume of rain as opposed to having a rain event during the show. We may have to deal with flooding and emergency response that will take precedence over a community fireworks event.”

As of Wednesday afternoon, Friday’s forecast for Paulding from the National Weather Service calls for a 90-percent chance of precipitation, with heavy rainfall and thunderstorms possible. Showers and thunderstorms are likely for the evening hours.

Should Hiram’s show go on as planned, attendees can expect the festivities to begin at 6 p.m. Admission is free and shuttles will aid in getting folks to the park to enjoy a concert by Contagious, described on the city’s website as “a seven-piece ‘performance dance/show band.’"

Food vendors will be on the premises, and attendees will be treated to a fireworks show by East Coast Pyrotechnics at dark.

Saturday’s weather predictions are slightly better, as meteorologists say showers and storms are likely during the day, though the evening hours could see just some scattered rains and storms. The chance of precipitation in the daytime currently stands at 60 percent and diminishes to 40 percent in the evening. 

Though Saturday’s forecast is less than stellar, it hasn’t led Paulding County leaders to call off the “2013 IndepenDance at the Pole Barn” event at Taylor Farm Park. Vickie Williams with Paulding County Parks and Recreation told Dallas-Hiram Patch Wednesday afternoon that the event is still a go.

The free event, according to the county website, is set to feature a cornhole tournament at 5 p.m., Zumba for adults and line dancing for kids at 5:30, a cake walk and hula hoop contest at 6, a Duck Dynasty look alike contest at 6:30 p.m., and a concert at 7 p.m. A fireworks show will commence at dark.