Days of '47 fireworks are a shallow form of patriotism, expensive, and dangerous to people who attend, as we witnessed at Liberty Park Saturday night. Also, this year's Fourth of July celebration in Provo proves that Stadium of Fire should be renamed Stadium on Fire.
All of which means these two programs will only be expanded next year. State and city authorities love big events because it is a way of generating votes and locking them into long-term political careers.
But mass cultural events like fireworks shows and summer rock concerts usually are poorly planned and regulated. The city should be severely chastised for jamming 40,000 youth — a city the size of Bountiful — into one city block for the Modest Mouse concert at Pioneer Park on July 8. People could get in but couldn't get out when things got very physical.
I guess the summer of 2010 is the city fathers' way of bringing a little bit of Afghanistan right into the downtown parks for our entertainment pleasure. But who is going to pay the bill for the post-traumatic stress the little kiddies and young adults will be dealing with in school this fall?
Kimball Shinkoskey
Woods Cross