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Residents clash over Confederate Railroad booking at Bay City fireworks festival
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Summary
Public comment at the March 16 Bay City City Commission meeting produced sharply divided views over whether the band Confederate Railroad should perform at the city's Fourth of July fireworks festival, with speakers warning of both racism associated with Confederate symbols and of economic harm if headline acts are removed.
Dozens of residents addressed the Bay City City Commission on March 16 about the inclusion of the band Confederate Railroad in the city's Fourth of July fireworks festival, producing sharply divergent views about symbolism, free choice and the economic role of the event.
Debbie Rogers told the commission she found the band's name and Confederate imagery inappropriate for an Independence Day celebration and said she objected on moral grounds: "I don't really understand why we're gonna have that because I don't feel it's appropriate for celebration of our Fourth of July," she said, linking Confederate symbols to "hostility, racism, white supremacy."
Other speakers defended the band and the festival. Rachel Shore, who identified herself as a lifelong Bay City resident, said the group's music and lineup are entertainment rather than a political statement and called objections "absolutely nonsense." Kelly Cole, another resident, said the festival is a major local economic driver and urged the commission not to let one person's view determine programming: "This festival has always had diverse bands ... Those visitors stay in our hotels, eat at our restaurants, shop in our stores," she said, characterizing the event as an economic boost.
Several speakers placed the dispute in a broader civic context. Andrew Thibodeaux argued that Confederate symbolism is "racist and anti-Semitic" and asked the commission to act, while Lance Anson and others urged elected officials to focus on infrastructure problems such as crumbling sewers and potholes rather than band names.
Mayor Gerard and commissioners did not take a formal vote on the festival booking at this meeting. Commissioners and the public repeatedly framed the matter as both a values question and a practical one about how to preserve a long-running volunteer-organized event.
The commission did not announce any change to the festival lineup at the meeting. Several speakers asked for clearer public engagement and transparency from the city about event decisions and for commissioners to consider economic impacts alongside concerns about symbolism.
