Letter: This is wrong year to restrict fireworks

Published 1:30 am Saturday, June 13, 2026

Editor,

I have always loved the Fourth of July in Coupeville. So I was disheartened to learn that mortar fireworks have been banned this year — of all years.

Fireworks are not mere spectacle. They are the sound and light of a shared tradition, one that connects us to every generation that has celebrated this country’s independence before us. This is America’s 250th anniversary, a milestone that arrives once in a lifetime. That tradition deserves honor, not prohibition.

I understand the concerns that drive these decisions — fire risk, noise, safety. These are legitimate considerations. But they are not new, and communities across the country manage them without eliminating the celebration itself. Coupeville can too.

Coupeville is a proud American town. I ask our leaders to reconsider. Let us mark this milestone as it deserves to be marked.

John VerWey

Coupeville