City staff recommend radio simulcast plus fireworks to sustain Fourth Fest

Director Avital Rabinowitz told the Rochester City Council study session she is asking the council to select a delivery model for the city’s July 4 programming, and she emphasized, “This is not a discussion of removing fireworks. Wanna be super, super, super clear about that.” The music department recommended keeping fireworks on July 4 while switching to a partner-produced patriotic broadcast starting in 2026 — what staff labeled “option C.”

Nut graf: Rabinowitz said option C would preserve the city’s fireworks tradition, reach residents who view fireworks from many locations across the city, reduce the event workload for a three-person music staff and keep the department able to deliver a full season of 17 summer events without new ongoing funding.

In presenting three delivery models, Rabinowitz listed: option A — multiple acts with fireworks (the most resource intensive); option B — a community band plus fireworks (fits current event budget but requires contingency funding); and option C — a partner-produced patriotic radio/streaming broadcast paired with fireworks (the department’s recommended and “most sustainable” path). “Option c keeps the fireworks on July 4 itself, pairs them with a partner produced patriotic broadcast that reaches residents citywide, and rightsizes Public Music’s footprint so our 3 person team can sustain a full summer season of 17 events,” she said.

Rabinowitz said the broadcast concept could be a local radio partner simulcasting patriotic music and occasional local content (for example a mayoral message or a poet-laureate reading). She said staff had not yet negotiated a partner: “There’s no agreement in place or anything like that,” she said, but the department has existing relationships with…