Jul 9, 2008 By Christine Haines 3 min read

BROWNSVILLE – Two long-time community events sponsored by the Greater Brownsville Area Chamber of Commerce have been cancelled for this year. Wet weather that made parking on Flag Pole Hill at Patsy Hillman Park hazardous forced the cancellation of this year’s Independence Day fireworks display. The chamber directors voted Tuesday to not reschedule the fireworks this year, instead applying the funds raised to next year’s display. The directors also discussed the possibility of expanding the event into a daylong community picnic and festival.

Chamber President Frank Ricco said the cancellation of the fireworks at the park wouldn’t leave the community without any fireworks this summer.

“There are going to be fireworks on July 19 as the wind up of the (Fayette County) Firemen’s Convention week,” Ricco said.

Ricco said the fireworks would be shot off over the Monongahela River near the old lock wall.

Jackie Bevard, who chairs the fireworks committee, said this is only the second time the chamber has had to cancel the fireworks on July 3. The last time weather forced the cancellation, the chamber held the fireworks Labor Day weekend, but drew about half the crowd that usually attends in July. While the fireworks display is offered free to the public, donations are accepted to help offset the cost of the event.

The chamber directors also voted to cancel this year’s riverboat dinner cruise due to escalating expenses and decreased interest. Director Pat Ballon reported that the cost per person would be more than $68, not including fees for entertainment, even using the smaller Gateway Clipper instead of the Gateway Partyliner that can hold more than 300 people. The chamber has held the cruise for two decades and has held the price to no more than $50/ticket. Ballon said the chamber would need to underwrite the cost of the cruise to offer that low of a ticket price this year.

“Personally, I feel if we have money to spend, it should be for a community activity and not for a dinner for 125 people,” Ballon said.

Ballon said the price increase was due to a fuel surcharge and crew expenses to bring the boat from Pittsburgh to Brownsville.

The chamber discussed the possibility of holding a community dinner in the autumn.

In other matters, Ricco reported that an open house would be held at Brownsville Tri-County Hospital on Thursday, July 31, so the community can see the newly renovated and reopened facility. The chamber directors voted to place a full-page ad in the open house commemorative booklet. The booklet will include a listing of all the services offered at the new hospital that replaces the bankrupt former Brownsville General Hospital Inc., which closed in January 2006.