July 2, 2020 – Kewaskum, WI – The orange and white barricades and No Parking signs are appearing on street corners and side streets as the Village of Kewaskum prepares for its July 3 fireworks. A couple bullet points are below courtesy Kewaskum Police Chief Tom Bishop.
- Fireworks in Kewaskum will be launched this year at Reigle Park on July 3. There will be no ground display and the park will be closed to the public with restricted parking near Reigle Park.
- Traffic will not be allowed to go west on Highway H at Highway 45 (Dairy Queen corner) after the fireworks are underway, which is expected to be 9:45 p.m.
- Police will be conducting traffic control at Highway H and Edgewood Road, at Kiwanis Park and at Hwy 45 and Highway 28.
- There will be no parking on either side of Edgewood Road from Highway H to Jefferson Drive. Also, no parking on Highway H from Dream Catcher Drive to Kettle View Drive.
- Chief Bishop is advising people who live in Kewaskum to “stay home and watch the fireworks from the comfort of your own yard and I’m not encouraging people from out of town to come here because it’s such a different setup this year.”
- Kiwanis Park will be open, however there is construction in the area and Brooklane Drive is closed to traffic.
- The grass lot at Holy Trinity Church is NOT open for parking and will be cordoned off. It is private property and will be closed.
- The elevation at Reigle Park is higher than normal and the chief expects more people will be able to see them from home compared to years past.
Chief Bishop said the Village has a zero-tolerance policy on fireworks and it is against the law for neighbors to shoot off fireworks. “A good rule of thumb is if it explodes or leaves the ground it is probably an illegal firework and citations will be issued; no warnings are given,” said Bishop. The citation is $218.50.
Village President Kevin Scheunemann said, “I discourage large crowds from gathering anywhere in the Village, without social distancing, River Hill Park and Kiwanis Park will be open for viewing,” he said.
A special meeting was called Wednesday, June 3 where the board reconsidered the fireworks issue and it passed by majority 5 -0 with 2 abstaining including Dave Spenner and Richard Laubach.
