Troy City Council discussion of July 4th cancellation, July 15, 2020
Channel: Northwest Montana Now
Date: 2020-07-18

During the “Claims” portion of the meeting, Council member Chuck Ekstedt brought up perception around the town that the city canceled Troy’s Old Fashioned 4th of July festivities that traditionally take place at Roosevelt Park.

Ekstedt told the council that he has been approached by local residents who wondered why Troy’s festivities had been denied, yet a July 4th celebration was able to be held at J. Neils Park outside Libby.

Council Member Shawna Kelsey clarified that the event was not denied, but that the Troy Chamber of Commerce canceled the event.

Chamber President Susie Taylor first made the news of the cancelation public in a statement put forward online on April 27. 

In a press release that followed and was covered by the Kootenai Valley Record (https://www.facebook.com/notes/kootenai-valley-record/troy-chamber-of-commerce-expounds-upon-cancellation-of-2020-old-fashioned-4th-of/2413888868910993/) and The Montanian (http://montanian.com/local-news/local-news-38/), Taylor clarified that though the city provides support for the event, the chamber covers the cost of the event and fireworks.

In addition to acknowledging concerns related to the spread of the novel coronavirus that causes COVID-19, the chamber release stated that the economic impact of the crisis on local businesses that pay for the annual event and the lack of event grants from the state made the celebration financially untenable.

During Wednesday’s meeting, Mayor Dallas Carr said that he and County Commissioner Jerry Bennett attended the meeting where the chamber board made the decision.

“You could tell it was hurting them to make that call, but they made that call,” he said.

“We could say what we want to encourage them, but it’s still their call. It’s their responsibility,” he added.

Ekstedt questioned whether the chamber should have sought more input from people around the city.

“There’s a lot of people that are really bummed-out that there was not the 4th of July here,” he said.

As the discussion continued, the concern came forward whether Libby hosting a 4th of July event would continue into the future, clashing with future Old Fashioned 4th of July celebrations in Troy.

“It’s still our event, plain and simple,” Carr said.

“We’ll see,” Ekstedt responded.

Carr said that the event could end up being smaller in coming years, but that, “We’ll bring it back.”

Kelsey said she hopes the disappointment people have felt will translate into greater community involvement in future years, with more people volunteering for the event.

Carr said that, if the COVID-19 situation has improved by next year and people get involved, it could actually be an even bigger success than previous years.

“That’s the only thing that makes these things work in these small communities – people chipping in,” Carr said.

The full meeting video can be found here: https://youtu.be/KVwJ9s_KRGM

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