Chicago cancels July 3rd fireworks

CHICAGO, Jan. 27 (UPI) -- The annual July 3rd fireworks in Chicago's Grant Park will be replaced by three separate displays on July 4th, Mayor Richard M. Daley's office said.

Daley's office said the change is being made for financial reasons.

"Whether it's in good economic times, or bad, our mission is to do all we can to enhance the quality of life for every Chicagoan and the experience of visiting our city for our tourists and out-of-towners. But like every level of government, the bad economy has challenged us to do more with less and to even more efficiently manage our limited resources," Megan McDonald, executive director of the Mayor's Office of Special Events, said Wednesday.

Instead of holding one major fireworks display in Grant Park on July 3rd, the city is planning three coordinated lakefront fireworks displays on July 4th in an effort to encourage Chicago residents to stay closer to their own neighborhoods.

The fireworks display will be a coordinated show with a central location at Navy Pier as well as a South lakefront location and a North lakefront location.

The city's Taste of Chicago food and music festival will close at 6 p.m. on both July 3rd and July 4th.

"We recognize that there are many who enjoy the Independence Day holiday in their own communities with friends and family, so we decided this year to bring the fireworks to them. This will result in a more cost-efficient celebration and less congestion of people in one site for a more pleasant experience," McDonald said in a statement.