City Council Addresses Possible Resident Concerns Over Fourth of July Celebration

Following the 2012 Richfield Hometown Fourth of July Celebration extravaganza, city staff recommended the council discuss possibly eliminating the carnival portion of the festivities due to high police contacts and the presence of several gangs.

During the Richfield City Council meeting Tuesday night, members briefly touched on the subject in an attempt to clarify their position. Council Member Pat Elliott said some residents may be under the impression the city is considering canceling the entire event.

"There's a significant amount of information that's still going to come our way," he said. "[The carnival] is one part of it and it's entitled to some discussion."

Elliott also said the carnival contract is still valid for another year, so there is plenty of time to weigh the pros and cons to make the right decision.

Council Member Fred Wroge agreed and mentioned a letter council received from a man with a carnival association. Wroge thought the city should make its concerns clear to the vendor as well.

"He didn't understand the concerns we had," Wroge said. "He thought we just wanted to cancel [the carnival] for no reason."