Patriots Park fireworks show got 'a black eye' for lack of lights afterward

Editor:

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I attended the Columbia County fireworks display at Patriot's Park and it was enjoyable. However, the lack of planning or forethought by the group organizing the event really took away a lot of that enjoyment.

After the event, no one turned the lights on at the Columbia County Fairgrounds parking area. This is a nearly one square mile field filled with uneven terrain and ditches. In the dark, this is a fairly unsafe area to walk around in.

Also, in the absence of lighting, landmarks are not visible, so locating a vehicle is nearly impossible without GPS. There were numerous people unable to locate their vehicles. After several complaints, and about an hour after the show was over, the lights were finally turned on. This was extremely poor planning and performance on behalf of Columbia County and the event planners, and was certainly a black eye for the event. Steps need to be taken to prevent this during future events.

James Carswell

Evans