The Festival on the Fourth has foundered this year.

“I’m not willing to risk this town’s reputation, my reputation and any of your guy’s money, time or power, or the commitment of the police,” said Shane Neal, who made an 11th-hour attempt to save the event. “If we don’t all agree and it is very, very clear we do not. This is not salvageable for 2024 and in the name of the sharks, for that reason, I’m out.”

Neal, who submitted the event application to the town in care of Awake the Lake, with Alisha Sears, presented multiple versions of the event including a smaller event without a fireworks display at the town’s May 9 meeting.

Last year, Tim and Laurie Caves served as the Awake the Lake subcommittee to organize the Festival on the Fourth and the fireworks event. After organizing the event as a full-time job for nine months and having family developments take their attention this year, the couple were unable to serve as organizers for the event this year.

Caves said it takes 80-100 people with 20 of them working for 9 months, as well as 45 police officers and fire personnel as well as $30,000-40,0000.

Subsequently, after searching for months for new organizers for the event, Awake the Lake decided to cancel it for this year without having the volunteers to organize and fundraise for it.

The board expressed concerns for the security of the event as this year the organization changes hands. The board wanted to make sure any subcontracted security companies were in addition to local police and fire as they have been involved in past years with the event.

Last year’s event experienced issues from a safety standpoint because of the growth in attendance. The need for additional officers with arresting authority was also brought up. After it was announced the 2024 event was canceled, coordinating law enforcement agencies, outside of fire and medical personnel, were no longer available on such short notice.

“It kind of scares the crap out of me to approve a plan that isn’t well planned and that you don’t have your ducks in a row,” Trustee Shanna Ball said.

Last year’s event experienced issues in lieu of parking including multiple blocked driveways and side streets through the main residential portion of Palmer Lake. In addition, both lanes of Hwy 105 remained at a standstill for two hours after the conclusion of the fireworks display, making it impossible for emergency medical services to respond to any calls.

Mayor Glant Havenar said even if the event is restructured into a community event later in the summer and the funds raised are put towards the Festival on the Fourth in 2025, she felt the Neal and Sears the duo were the co-chairs to make it happen given the quality work they had done attempting to salvage the event for 2024.

During Neal’s final comments he said he respects the Board of Trustees, which was the reason for his presentation, and the town staff, which was the reason for the event organizers and staff coming together to create a smaller event option. However, even with the board’s approval of the application, it was Neal on the event application and its failure was his responsibility alone being the name on it as the event chair, he said.

“I am open to what we can do for 2025 after the Fourth of July that needs to happen and whatever happens here can happen,” Neal said, “but the town needs to evolve, the mindset needs to evolve, the community needs to evolve. We have too much social, financial and bureaucratic dissension and politics for a town this small. … Unfortunately, the facts and numbers say the smaller event won’t work either.”

Neal announced during the meeting that he officially rescinded the application.

Jeff Holzman, local business owner and member of Awake the Lake, said later in the meeting, “Shane did the right thing. It’s going to be all or nothing and that’s kind of where we are at. We don’t feel like we can finance it. And it is truly awful.”

During the public comment portion of the meeting, Neal requested to withdraw his action to rescind the Festival on the Fourth application, since it also included Awake the Lake as applicants, and have the board vote on a 5,000-person controlled event version without fireworks. The board’s vote was split 3-3 and without a majority vote in favor, the motion failed.

Havenar said volunteering for such an event is no longer performed like in prior years.

“The fireworks are not run by the town. It’s done by a volunteer committee of Awake the Lake and a volunteer team is required,” Havenar said. “A committee needs to have a security plan and a parking plan, a fire plan and raise the money. Volunteering on the day of the event for two hours, that’s not the problem.

“It’s not something that just happens on the Fourth of July. It’s planning and preparing for months ahead, not in 55 days.”