Forsyth parks department attempting to save Tanglewood fireworks

The Forsyth County Parks and Recreation Department has canceled its annual Fourth of July fireworks display at Tanglewood Park.

Parks Director Michael Anderson said the $5 gate fee has not been sufficient to cover the $10,000 cost of the event in recent years, and county officials felt that without corporate sponsorships they could not justify the event when the county is projecting a reduction in tax revenues in coming years.

“The event has lost money over the past several years,” Anderson said. “We used to have sponsorships for it. With the economy down we haven’t been able to get any corporate sponsorships.”  

The fireworks display hasn’t had a sponsor in the past two years. Anderson said if a sponsor were to step forward soon, there’s a chance the event could be salvaged. 

“We’re still holding out that there’s a possibility we could pull it off,” he said. “We’re running out of time. That’s why we felt that we needed to go ahead and notify people that we would have to cancel it.”