This year the City of Hobbs annual Fourth of July Fireworks Show is taking place on Saturday, July 3rd at Hobbs Industrial Air Park (HIAP). HIAP is located at 5425 Jack Gomez Blvd, at the intersection of Business Park Road and A Street.
The public is invited to enjoy the show from the comfort of their own vehicles. Showtime is 9:30 pm, and parking opens at 7:00 pm. The city suggests arriving early and taking time to relax before the show starts. The best parking spots will fill up quickly.
Musical accompaniment to the show will be available at FM 94.1 (KZOR). Tune in and make all necessary audio adjustments early. This way you won’t be hunting for the right station or listening to static after the extravaganza starts.
The City of Hobbs made the decision to hold this year’s Independence Day fireworks show on July 3rd because July 4th falls on a Sunday. After so many months of event cancellations, the thumbs up given by the State Fire Marshal’s Office to the City of Hobbs to have the fireworks show is welcomed by all. Nearby, the City of Lovington will be holding their own firework show on Sunday, along with a full day of Fourth of July activities at Chaparral Park.
During the festivities at HIAP, the public is reminded to pick up and carry away all trash and more importantly to ensure that any and all flammable items and vegetation are kept safely away from any fireworks.
The Hobbs Police Department and the Hobbs Fire Department are taking the matters of safety and the legal use of fireworks very seriously this year. In February, the Hobbs City Council passed a new ordinance that amends the City of Hobbs fireworks ordinance. The new ordinance goes into effect this Independence Day weekend. It takes away any ambiguity as to which fireworks are legal and which are illegal in the City of Hobbs. According to Hobbs Police Chief John Ortolano, strong measures will be taken all around Hobbs to curtail the use of illegal fireworks. Chief Ortolano’s message is simple – the Fourth of July holiday should be celebrated “safely” and “legally”.
To this end and for the first time ever, the City of Hobbs Fire Marshal’s Office will offer a “Safe Zone” where people can safely light fireworks. Located at HIAP, the “Safe Zone”will be open from 7:00 pm until midnight on July 2, 3 and 4. Both Hobbs Fire Department and Police Department personnel will be on site in the “Safe Zone” during its opening hours to assure “safety and consideration.”
Please note that during the fireworks show itself, a pause will be taken in the lighting of any fireworks in the “Safe Zone”.
According to City of Hobbs press release, “Citizens are encouraged to utilize the Safe Zone in an effort to keep their neighborhoods safe and quiet.”
Hobbs citizens also need to know which fireworks, according to the newly amended fireworks ordinance, may be purchased and discharged within the Hobbs City Limits (outside of the “Safe Zone”), pursuant to Hobbs Municipal Code Section 8.12.040.
PERMITTED fireworks are:
Cone Fountains
Crackling Devices
Cylindrical Fountains
Flitter Sparklers
Illuminating Torches
Toy Smoke Devices
Wheels
PROHIBITED fireworks for possession, sale and/or use in the City of Hobbs are:
Aerial Shell Kit – Reloadable tubes
Aerial Spinners
Helicopters
Mines
Missile-Type Rockets
Multiple Tube Devices
Roman Candles
Shells
Stick-Type Rockets
Chasers
Firecrackers
Please help the City of Hobbs, the Hobbs Fire Department, the Hobbs Police Department, your family, friends and neighbors, as well as yourself, celebrate a safe and legal Independence Day! Should you have any questions, please call the Hobbs Fire Department at (575) 391-8158.
Photo by Stephanie McCabe / Unsplash
