HOWARD COUNTY, Texas — Any Howard County residents hoping to celebrate Fourth of July with a bang will unfortunately be disappointed.
Howard County Commissioners prohibited the sale or use of aerial fireworks back on May 26.
Anything that could be classified as a "missile with fins" or "skyrockets with sticks" are banned. Ground-based fireworks such as sparklers, however, are still considered fine.
The reason for this restriction was due to the increase of fire danger in the area brought on by drought conditions.
Violating this order knowingly would be considered a Class C misdemeanor.
The order is set to expire on August 8, 2020 or when the conditions become more favorable, whichever happens first.
This order even impacted the annual Pops in the Park fireworks display. Though most of the event had been canceled the display was still set to go on; however, officials decided to cancel it for a variety of reasons including the drought conditions.
Unfortunately, this means Independence Day celebrations across the county will have a little less sparkle.
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