Lennox council approves commercial club special event permit with fireworks at old football field

The Lennox City Council approved a special-event permit for a Commercial Club festival planned for July 25 that will close Park Drive for an evening food-truck, music and a car show, and will include a fireworks display at the city’s old football field.

The permit application was presented by Nate, staff member, who described the event as modeled on other communities’ “First Thursdays” or food-truck evenings. “We’re gonna close down Park Drive during the evening hours of that day for a food truck,” Nate said, adding that a musical performance and a car show are planned and that fireworks would be shot from the old football field at sundown if the council approved the permit.

The council’s motion to approve the special-event permit passed by voice vote after a brief discussion about safety, parking and alcohol service. Council members discussed limiting parking on the old football field because fireworks would be fired from that location and asked staff to place barricades at the highway and L Street entrances and to post staff for crowd control. Council members also asked staff to confirm insurance coverage for the fireworks.

Nate said smaller fireworks will be used this year and that staff will work with organizers in future years to establish a larger safety zone if the event moves toward larger aerial displays. He also recommended against parking on the football field because of the fireworks operation and said staff would coordinate barricades and signage and consult with public-safety staff.

Council members raised neighborhood-notification concerns for residents living near the old football field; staff said they would post notices to nearby residences. There was discussion about whether the school property could be used for fireworks instead, and staff explained the school discouraged firing near new tennis courts and ongoing construction.

The council also discussed the permit’s malt-beverage box on the application. Nate said the application had not been updated to reflect a final decision on alcohol service and advised the council to incorporate any restriction into the motion; the council’s motion to approve proceeded with the understanding that final conditions, including alcohol service, would be clarified and enforced as part of the permit process.

The motion carried by voice vote.