Atlanta
(2009-07-02)
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Money woes forced the county to pull the plug on its annual celebration.
Some in Gwinnett saw it coming. Last August, the county, like many municipalities, took a long, hard look at all of its budget items. That included Gwinnett Glows: the county's 4th of July program.
Fireworks, a band, a stage and kids activities cost 200-thousand dollars. Gwinnett spokesperson Heather Sawyer was the program's chief fundraiser for the past three years. She says corporate donors usually foot most of the bill.
STEWART: "Every year it had become more difficult to raise that money. I think as businesses started to have more difficulty and the economy started slowing down. It was just that much more difficult to raise that money."
Just because there's no Gwinnett Glows doesn't mean no fireworks will fly in the county. Several Gwinnett cities and the Gwinnett Braves minor league baseball team will have their own programs. © Copyright 2009, WABE
