COVINGTON, Ga. — The City of Covington’s Independence Day celebrations will look different this year after a vote by the city council.
In a split decision, with a tie-breaker vote undertaken by Mayor Fleeta Baggett, the City Council of Covington canceled their annual fireworks show.
Councilmembers Anthony Hederson, Charika Davis and Dwayne Turner opposed to move, prompting the tie-breaker by Baggett.
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During the discussion at the most recent Covington City Council meeting, safety concerns were the primary reason for canceling the fireworks show this year.
According to Covington City Manager Tres Thomas, there’d already been discussion about safety at the event with Newton County Sheriff Ezell Brown and other county officials.
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Mentioning crowd size concerns from the Independence Day event in 2025, officials said they were trying to avoid having the “chaos again” by having a “tight environment” during the show.
An alternative of having a drone-based show instead was discussed, but with the same crowd problem a concern for council members and city staff.
Rather than hold a fireworks or drone show for July 4, the city council is considering getting involved with other local events in nearby municipalities, such as the Oxford Parade or having different events in downtown Covington instead.
After a debate over safety, including the issue of a large number of children coming to the events and becoming “unruly,” the council voted on ending the fireworks show, with the vote at a draw.
Baggett broke the tie, voting to have the show canceled as the city works on planning alternative events instead.
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