Old Orchard Beach to change time of Thursday fireworks

The Thursday night fireworks in Old Orchard Beach will begin at 9 p.m. starting next week.

Thursday night fireworks have been a long-standing summer tradition in Old Orchard Beach, with crowds of people flocking downtown to view the 9:45 p.m. show.

The decision to change the start time of the fireworks from 9:45 p.m.to 9 p.m. was in response to safety concerns brought to the Town Council by police at a public workshop on Tuesday at Town Hall. The time change was a compromise, as the police department initially requested the town to cancel the fireworks.

Police Chief Elise Chard, on behalf of the police department, requested the suspension of the Thursday night fireworks for the remainder of the summer season “due to escalating public safety concerns.”

She said police have seen an increase in teens from out of town visiting the downtown on Thursday night, when fireworks are scheduled. They choose this time because they can disappear in the crowd of people, she said.

“This is creating an atmosphere that is no longer family friendly. Instead, these evenings have increasingly been dominated by large, unruly groups of juveniles who engage in disorderly conduct, fights, intoxication, and other criminal behavior,” said Chard.

She said some of the young people who are coming to town on Thursday nights are associated with gang activity and are known to carry or use weapons.

“This presents an unacceptable level of risk for families who come here expecting a safe, enjoyable vacation experience,” she said.

Volume and severity exceeded what can be safely managed by department and have had to reach out to neighboring police departments. She said the police department has had a difficult time finding summer reserve officers. This year the department had 14, while in years past it had many more.

Chard said the young people in question don’t come to town to shop, go out to eat, or go on the amusement rides. They are not spending money.

“They’re here to cause chaos,” said Chard.

Captain Anthony Ciampi said last Thursday there were many families downtown who were appalled and in fear of the “hundreds” of young people between the ages of 15 and 20 milling around and engaging in hostile, aggressive and confrontational behavior.

He said a few weeks ago on a Thursday night, police officers went to break up a fight on First Street, and the teens started attacking the police officers, one of whom was a state trooper who was assisting the local police.

Steve Cowan, owner of the Royal Anchor hotel, said Old Orchard Beach differentiates itself from other vacation destinations as a family-friendly community, and one of the highlights for many families is the weekly fireworks.

“I just encourage everyone to think about this thoroughly, and know that it will have a material impact on the industry here. And it’s a very short season already,” he said.

Mike Hally, president of the Old Orchard Beach Chamber of Commerce, spoke on behalf of the Chamber. He said the Chamber appreciated efforts to keep Old Orchard Beach safe and family-friendly, but canceling the fireworks would hurt tourism.

“Canceling the fireworks would have consequences beyond one evening. It would reduce visitor spending, negatively affect local businesses, and risk sending the message that Old Orchard Beach is no longer a safe destination for families,” he said.

Councilor Connor Rague said it was difficult to imagine not having fireworks at all, and asked if there was compromise, like having them less frequently or scheduling them at an earlier time.

Councilor Kenny Blow said that he also would like to find a compromise. He said it would hurt businesses if fireworks were canceled, yet he had listened to the scanner last Thursday night and it was “shocking.”

The council asked Chard if the police department would be willing to see if changing the time of the fireworks to 9 p.m. would help safety concerns, and she agreed.

“Anything we can do is worth trying,” said Chard.

The sponsors of the fireworks, Palace Playland owner Joel Golder and Pier owner Paul Golzbein, both agreed to the 9 p.m. change.

“Safety is number one for us,” said Golzbein.

The fireworks this week and on July 4 will remain at 9:45 p.m. The Thursday fireworks will start at 9 p.m. beginning next week.

Saco Bay News Publisher Liz Gotthelf can be reached at newsdesk@sacobaynews.com.