Owensville Fire Chief Jeff Arnold said the community fireworks show scheduled for Friday at Memorial Park “will go on” unless there is a state fire marshal’s mandate prohibiting one.

“The show will go on as far as we know,” said Arnold on Tuesday morning after visiting the Owensville Golf Course site where fireworks are scheduled to be launched by Showtime Pyrotechnics, LLC., out of Cuba, Mo.

“Pray for a little rain,” he added.

Arnold said he met with Showtime’s launch personnel. None of the six shows the company is scheduled to produce over the holiday weekend have been cancelled. Arnold said the extra water was being put down in the area immediately surrounding the launch zone and Owensville’s volunteer firemen will be on station during the show with brush trucks to extinguish any burning debris which may land in a problem area.

“Unless we’re mandated by the state, the show will go on as planned,” said Arnold.

City Administrator Randy Blaske said Tuesday he had visited the launch site with the mayor, John Kamler, and the fire chief.

Blaske said precautions are being taken  in preparation for the community’s Firemen’s Picnic and cited the discussion with the firm contracted to launch the show and the fire chief.

“We’re going to let the experts and common sense prevail,” said Blaske.

The location of Owensville’s fireworks launch site is on the golf course. It is being watered. Blaske said the all-volunteer fire department was planning to have brush trucks on standby.

Showtime is scheduled to launch the fireworks display starting at dark Friday from the No. 9 fairway of Owensville Golf Course which runs along Parker Drive. Parker Drive is typically closed off near the launch zone.

The community’s firemen’s picnic begins with a flag-raising ceremony at 5:30 p.m. followed by turtle races on Memorial Field conducted by the Knights of Columbus. Owensville firemen will be serving fish sandwiches and conducting a sanctioned peddle tractor-pulling contest for youth. The Owensville Lions will have their Bingo games going under the No. 1 pavilion by the food stands.

The top three boy and girl finishers in each age division of the fire department’s youth peddle tractor pulls qualify to compete in the Missouri State Fair competition later this summer. Children ages 4 to 10-years-old are eligible to compete.

The VFW Post 6133 Auxiliary is also planning a cake walk.

Owensville’s Board of Aldermen on June 19 approved a new three-year contract with Showtime Pyrotechnics for the annual fireworks display. This year’s show, part of the prior contract, will cost $8,800. The new contract will cost $9,250 for the 2024 show, $9,750 in 2025, and $10,000 in 2026. The new contract cost was figured into the 2023-24 city budget which was approved by ordinance on June 19.

Show postponed in Rosebud, fire danger, heat cited

The community-produced fireworks show in Rosebud, however, has been postponed until Saturday, Sept. 2, on the Labor Day weekend.

“Due to the dry conditions and heat the Rosebud Fireworks display has Officially been postponed,” reads a message from Interim Police Chief Lynde Mantels posted to a Rosebud community Facebook page on Monday evening. “The rescheduled date for the Rosebud Fireworks display is September 2, 2023. Thank you all for being patient and as always coming to our lovely little town for the awesome fireworks show!”