THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, June 18, 1996 TAG: 9606180292
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: NORTH CAROLINA
SOURCE: BY LANE DEGREGORY, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: 119 lines
At least three Outer Banks towns have big blasts planned for Independence Day.
As in past years, fireworks displays are scheduled near the sounds in Corolla and Manteo. For the first time in more than a decade, Nags Head will host its own July 4 fireworks celebration at a public beach access near milepost 11.5 on the oceanfront.
But a plan to hold a fireworks show off the end of Avalon Pier in Kill Devil Hills - which initially sparked excitement among business owners and residents - now is igniting controversy, and could fizzle out entirely at a meeting tonight.
In January, Kill Devil Hills resident Bob Gabriel told town commissioners about work he had done to secure an Independence Day celebration for the town. He hosted fireworks displays from the end of Avalon Pier in the 1980s and wanted to help revive the tradition.
Gabriel predicted that such a show would cost about $10,000. He said local businesses probably would be willing to cover the expenses. And, according to minutes from a Jan. 24 town Board of Commissioners meeting, Gabriel said ``there would be no cost to the town of Kill Devil Hills using the plan as outlined, except in staff time.''
During a June 10 Board of Commissioners meeting, Gabriel told town officials that 13 businesses had agreed to contribute a total of $10,000 to finance the July 4 show. That would be enough money to cover the costs, he said. But he asked town officials to share the cost with the merchants.
``The sponsors wanted the town to give $5,000,'' Gabriel said Monday. ``So I asked the board about that last week. . . .
``They said they'd vote on it at that meeting. But then they tabled it. And they never gave me an answer.''
Commissioners said they supported the idea. But they needed more time to figure out how much money they could give and where the funds would come from. They promised to discuss it at a budget workshop at 6 p.m. tonight.
``If you're going to ask businesses to contribute funds, the town needs to give a little money, too,'' Kill Devil Hills Mayor Duncan Wright said Monday. ``I can't believe two or three days would've made that much difference. We told him we'd give him an answer on the 18th.''
On Friday, however, Gabriel submitted a letter to the town saying that ``financial sponsors are no longer interested in carrying the entire load of financing the Kill Devil Hills Fourth of July fireworks. . . . Their offers of money have been withdrawn. . . .
``It is the fact of not coming to a decision on Monday night for a commitment of the $5,000 from the town of Kill Devil Hills that prompted this decision.''
Gabriel said he could not meet the deadline for ordering fireworks if he was forced to wait until tonight for the town's decision. He said he didn't ask for the money sooner because he ``didn't think it would be a big deal.''
``I found the whole thing repulsive. It was vicious the way we were attacked,'' Gabriel said of the way town commissioners treated his request last week. ``This was something that would have benefited the entire town.
``It was a family-oriented activity. It was insulting the way we were treated. I don't need that. No one else does.''
Commissioner E.M. ``Coy'' Harbeson reminded Gabriel of his January statement that the town would not need to pay for a proposed fireworks display. Harbeson said he couldn't see spending more than $500 in taxpayers' money for such an event - the amount Kill Devil Hills has given Manteo to help fund fireworks shows in the past. But other commissioners expressed their support for the celebration and said they'd make a decision about funding it tonight.
``Had Gabriel conveyed what I told him after that meeting - that we'd bring it up at the budget workshop - I can't believe those people would've pulled their money out of the plan,'' said the mayor.
Town Manager Debbie Diaz said an Independence Day event still ``can certainly be worked out'' for this year. ``I don't think anyone had ever asked the businesses to carry the entire load,'' she said.
Tom Byers, who owns Stop-n-Shop convenience store and had pledged $1,000 for the fireworks, said Gabriel initially told him the town would give $5,000 for the celebration. ``We thought it was an excellent idea - instead of throwing all the crowd into Manteo,'' Byers said from his Beach Road business Monday. ``Then (Gabriel) came back after that meeting last week and said the town didn't want to contribute the funds.
``I thought that if the town wasn't interested enough to give money, we might as well drop the whole thing. The only reason I decided not to kick in my contribution was because I thought it was too late to get the fireworks now.''
If the town decides tonight to contribute some cash, and the celebration can still be staged for July 4, Byers said he would ``still give the money I'd said I would. Sure. We just want to get this whole thing started for our town.''
Jolly Roger Restaurant owner Carol Ann Angelos agreed. ``I don't see any reason why the town had to table that request last week,'' she said Monday. ``But if they'd match part of our money, and it's still possible to get the fireworks, I'd go ahead and give my $1,000 contribution.''
In past years, Manteo has been the only town on Dare County's Outer Banks to host an Independence Day fireworks display. Town officials said this year they expect more than 10,000 spectators to line the waterfront for the half-hour show. Taxpayers' money supplies $10,500 for the event. Roanoke Island business owners also contribute.
Corolla business owners have put on their own fireworks festival for at least the past three years. Held at the Whalehead Club, the event features games, rides, food booths, craft displays and band concerts. Currituck County contributes some money for the event. But most funds come from Corolla business owners - and proceeds from the previous year's festival. At least 15,000 spectators are expected to show up this year.
A Nags Head merchant, George Crocker, used to host a fireworks display every year near the Atlantic. But there hasn't been a July 4 festival in that beach town for at least 12 years. So this spring, Mayor Renee Cahoon and her board of commissioners decided to start their own event.
Fireworks are scheduled to begin about 9 p.m. at the Bonnet Street Regional Beach Access, just north of Nags Head Pier. The free show is slated to last about 40 minutes. A total of $20,000 in taxpayers' money is underwriting the event.
``We decided we'd like to do our own fireworks this year as a community service for our citizens and visitors,'' Cahoon said. ``Businesses shouldn't have to pay for something like this because they're already collecting all the taxes anyway. We're still looking to work with other Outer Banks communities, though, if they want to share the cost of underwriting the event.''
Manteo Commissioner Edward Etheridge said he thinks all three fireworks celebrations will go off with a bang.
``I think Nags Head and other beach towns should have their own fireworks over there,'' he said Monday. ``Who knows for sure if they'll impact us. But there's nothing we can do about it now anyway.
``I think we'll probably all have all the people we want.'' by CNB