Dalhart approves $15,000 for Rotary fireworks; organizers raise storage and lake-use questions

The Dalhart City Council on March 10, 2025 approved a $15,000 request from the Dalhart Rotary Club to purchase fireworks for the city’s July 4, 2025 display.

Mark Hanbury, a Dalhart Rotary Club member, told the council that rising post‑COVID prices have reduced the size of recent shows and that the club seeks $15,000 this year to restore the fireworks “back to kinda where it was.” He said the Rotary has paid for insurance and licensing through its contractor and that in prior years the club typically received $10,000 from the city.

Hanbury and a volunteer, Michael DeMoz, described operational details: the Rotary coordinates with the fire marshal on permits and site preparation, mows ignition areas, and seeks a short-term secure storage location for fireworks in the days before the show. Hanbury said the club has stored fireworks in a borrowed building at the airport in past years but anticipates that location may not be available going forward. He suggested using a concrete bunker once used during the airbase era but said that structure currently has no lockable door and would need a lock installed to meet security needs.

A presiding council member moved to approve the Rotary’s request; the motion was seconded and approved with no opposition noted. During the discussion the Rotary asked whether separate city permission would be needed to use city property at the lake for the display; city staff responded they would check past agendas and follow up.

The council did not specify additional funding conditions beyond authorization from the community development fund. The Rotary’s request and the council’s approval do not change permit requirements: organizers must still coordinate with the fire marshal and comply with any state and city requirements for pyrotechnic displays.