As the woes from high water levels continue for Sodus Point, the village board decided this week that they’re going to postpone the popular fireworks display for this year’s Fourth of July celebration. The fireworks, along with the Sunshine Auto Parade, will be held on September 2.
Mayor Chris Tertinek told the Times of Wayne County on Thursday that they made the decision to postpone those events until Labor Day weekend because of the lack of parking available and the potential that waves could pose a problem for setting off fireworks on the pier.
Tertinek acknowledged that the postponement will put a damper on what’s typically a big weekend for them, with the fireworks usually attracting “thousands of people.” But he added that the celebration won’t be a complete washout.
“There are still a lot of things going on – the 5-K race at the lighthouse, the breakfast on the bluffs, the arts and crafts show, the kiddie parade – all of that stuff is still going on,” Tertinek said. “But that’s taking place on the higher ground, so that’s okay, and Labor Day weekend will hopefully bring more people in to help out businesses and stuff.”
Kelly Grey, co-owner of Hot’s Point, indicated that she understands the reasoning behind the decision to postpone the fireworks, but said it will absolutely hurt the businesses in Sodus Point.
“I think we’re all at a point where we’re just numb to everything that’s still coming because of the effects of the high water,” Grey said. “We’re all trying to survive and I guess we just have to take in stride. It hurts, but I’m glad that they’re trying to make up for it by having an end of the summer celebration, so hopefully that might give everybody a bit of a reprieve.”
The announcement of the postponement spread online Thursday morning, along with a rumor that the Sodus Point beach would remain closed this summer.
Building and grounds superintendent for Wayne County, Kevin Rooney, said that he was aware of that rumor but had no idea where it came from. He said that they hope to open the concession stand and bathhouse on June 23, with the beach opening some time after that.
“If I had to guess, the bayside beach is not going to open, we’ve just got too much erosion in there right now,” Rooney said. “I would expect that the lakeside beach will open sometime this year, but we’d still really like the water levels to go down, and we’ve got to get some equipment in there to push sand around that has been displaced.”
Rooney is unsure if they are going to have to haul in any additional sand, adding that they haven’t assessed it yet to make that determination. During a typical year, Rooney noted that the beach would be opening around this time.
There is some light at the end of the tunnel for the village though, according to Tertinek. Based on the average of two buoys – one in Rochester and another in Oswego – Tertinek thinks that the lake may have reached its peak and is starting to turn downward.
“It looks like we’ve crested, but I’ll need a couple more days to see if that’s happening,” he said. “We still have the National Guard here today and tomorrow. They’re just plugging holes in our protective structures and hopefully after this week, we won’t need them anymore.”
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