Cloquet Cancels 4th of July Festivities & Fireworks

Sad news for Cloquet, as the 4th of July festival activities and fireworks have now been officially cancelled. The Cloquet City Councilors unanimously voted to cancel the 4th of July weekend plans.

They originally had set up a fundraiser in May for the fireworks display. The city had a difficult time coming up with the $13,000 needed. According to the Pine Knot, several businesses stepped up and made donations including Sappi and Enbridge donating $2,000 each. They now will be using those funds for next year's fireworks display. Some had suggested that they postpone the fireworks to Labor Day Weekend instead of the 4th of July Weekend. City administrator Tim Peterson said that the community effort for the 4th of July Weekend each year should be honored and put towards 2021.

One of the factors considered was how they would safely socially distance with the 4th of July activities. With nearby cities such as Duluth & Moose Lake cancelling their fireworks, the worry was an influx of people from out of town could make it too crowded to safely hold the event.

Also the city council agreed that the pool at Pinehurst park would remain closed for the year. With social distancing guidelines, there isn't a safe way to have the pool opened, and even if they were to open at some point this summer, the financial losses would be too great for this season as it does cost $100,000 a year to run the pool. Some of the seasonal workers that help staff the pool have already gone on to other jobs for income.