Kansas City Parks Ambassadors Clay Jarrett and Wick Thomas lead a group of youth volunteers to sweep and pick up fireworks and debris at The Concourse and Colonnade. | Photo by Dorri Partain

Dorri Partain

Managing Editor

America’s day of Independence, celebrated annually on July 4, rocks normally quiet neighborhoods with a never-ending series of booms, whistles and blasts. Anyone visiting Kansas City during this holiday would have the impression that any and all types of fireworks were legal and permitted.

But Kansas Citians know they are not — and find a way to obtain them anyway — also well knowing that there are few consequences despite a fireworks ordinance, which has been in place for decades.

Seeking a “safe and sane” Independence Day celebration, City Council members enacted the first fireworks ordinance in February 1904, which stated the “most dangerous forms of explosives” were forbidden and “use of all fireworks greatly restricted.”

Decade after decade, the Council went back into session and modified  Ordinance 150169 until the City ended up with a total ban of the sale and possession of all fireworks. Protocols from the Kansas City Police Department (KCPD) define the manner in which officers may ticket offenders and confiscate fireworks — but not to fault the police force — few, including myself, have witnessed this happening.

In older neighborhoods such as Historic Northeast, with small yards and houses built close together, revelers often take their display into the streets, thinking they are being “safer.” Instead, they are showering the whole block with their fireworks debris, rattling neighbor’s homes and impeding traffic while their display goes off.

Other revelers head to one of our city parks, where the ground is level and there’s safety in numbers as far as the number of revelers with their fireworks in tow. Their grand display of celebration leaves burned grass and an infinite amount of debris that City workers and volunteers collect the following day.

You know where I’m going with this — despite numerous ordinances and laws (city, county and state) on the books for over a century — we still have a problem with fireworks exploding where they’re not allowed. Enforcement is placed in the hands of overworked police departments and just expecting the Average Joe and Everyday Mary to be law-abiding folks willing to forgo celebrating this national holiday with fireworks.

Over the years, Northeast neighborhoods have tried the proactive method of taming this firework bedlam.The Indian Mound Neighborhood Association collected donations to cover the cost of off-duty officers to patrol neighborhood streets and confiscate fireworks. While successful, the initiative died down due to funding or officer availability and hasn’t been tried since. The Scarritt Renaissance neighborhood sponsored a laser light show in Concourse Park for several years but discontinued following low attendance, and those that wanted to set off fireworks in the park, just waited until the light show was over.

A total fireworks ban looks good on paper. But if city residents can drive just outside city limits and purchase fireworks, well, they are going to. Those municipalities get revenue from vendor permits and sales tax, while Kansas City has the added expense of trying to enforce this ordinance and then clean up the debris. Why have a fireworks ordinance on the books that’s not effective?

That said, I’m sure there’s an answer. Maybe fireworks-type displays should get more technical instead of explosive driven. Worlds of Fun amusement park sponsored a light show performed by drones for its 50th anniversary in 2023, which seems to be more cost-effective and just as entertaining than a fireworks display.

Or the city could just really take advantage of those revelers who want to purchase fireworks and set up their own city-sponsored fireworks stands and sell permits to set them off in a specified area under supervision. It would take new ordinances and planning but the revenue generated by sales would far offset the cost. *This idea is just my opinion as a Kansas City resident and not promoted by the Northeast News!*

The point is, we, the citizens of Kansas City, have trusted our elected officials to create laws that are enforced and this fireworks ordinance doesn’t work, and never has. We need new ideas and maybe someone from the Northeast has a better idea for a “sane and safe” Independence Day.

To share your opinions with our mayor and council representatives, find a complete list of contact information at www.kcmo.gov.

The Northeast News also welcomes your Letter to the Editor at northeastnewskc@gmail.con or send to 2659 Independence Blvd, Kansas City, MO 64124.