Chamber explains Fourth of July cancellation choice

By LPR Staff
Editor/POST-REGISTER

Organizers of Lockhart’s Fourth of July Family Picnic are facing criticism this week after festivities were cancelled on Wednesday despite promises that the show would “go forward unless it is pouring down rain, thunder or lightning at sundown.”
According to Lockhart Chamber of Commerce President Wayne Bock, the de

cision was a difficult decision for the organizers to make, but seemed to be the best thing to do.
“When I said that we were going to go forward, that was absolutely true at that time,” Bock said. “But we later found out from the fireworks people that if we made the decision to cancel by noon, they would waive the extra fees involved in cancelling the fireworks show.”
Bock noted that the decision, which he discussed with Lockhart City Manager Vance Rodgers, Chairman of the Chamber Board Mark Hinnenkamp and representatives from the vendor booths, was made based on the threat of severe weather throughout the day and into the evening on Wednesday.
“We all talked about it and decided it was the best thing to do, based on what we knew at the time, which was that there were storms stacking up south of I-10 and heading our way,” Bock said. “The Fourth of July Picnic isn’t just about the fireworks; it’s about the chance to get many, many families together to celebrate… we felt the best thing to do for all aspects of the festival was to go ahead and reschedule.”
Bock said he, along with other organizers were disappointed by their decision when the weather held out and turned into a spectacular evening.
“It was beautiful, and it was terrible,” he said. “The rain held off, and the sky was clear – the sun even came out. It would have been just perfect for the fireworks and the skydivers, and if we had known it was going to do that…”
Bock maintains the committee made the best decision it could with the information available.
The Fourth of July Family Picnic has been rescheduled for Labor Day, Monday, Sept. 3. Details about the event will be released as they become available.