Waco Fireworks Display a Huge Bust – City Releases Official Explanation

The timeline on my Facebook feed began blowing up around 10pm Thursday night from all my buddies in Waco.  Complaints were fierce (fueled by booze, I'd imagine), with people saying they'd waited for hours only to leave disappointed.  

The city of Waco has released a statement, saying an electrical problem prevented the show from going on as planned.  Described on Facebook, the show started, stopped, started & then stopped for good.  I can't imagine being one of the people that planned their whole 4th of July around the city's fireworks display, only to go home drenched.  Oh, I didn't mention the sprinklers?  Yeahhhhhhhh, there was that, too.  Apparently no one in the city's parks department thought to turn off the automatic sprinklers in Indian Spring Park, and thousands of people were soaked.  Food was ruined.  Kids were drenched.  It was just an EPIC FAIL all around.

This being the 21st century, Waco officials are looking at their "options", being that there's no make-up date available until 2014.  That's the nightmare that keeps people whose job is a one-and-done job.  If you screw it up, there's no make-good.  This isn't some ma & pa company buying fireworks at the local fireworks stand, this is Atlas Enterprise, which does the fireworks displays for the Texas Rangers, among others.

Among the thousands to leave the display disappointed was Hewitt resident Danny Alexander, who said, "I thought something was wrong when the show started late.  Usually they start on time and keep a steady stream of fireworks 'til the end and finish off with a bunch of fireworks.  Last night the kids were bored after 10:20 so we left".

To not have a fireworks display go off as planned is comparable to the ball not dropping in New York City New Year's Eve.  The number of people disappointed being far less than the millions in NYC, obviously, but this is a blunder that may have a lasting impact.  Looking to 2014 Alexander said, "The show last night will probably keep me from trying to fight the crowds and traffic downtown next year".

As the kids would say... EPIC FAIL.