The Crested Butte News Serving the Gunnison Valley since 1999
Lighting up the night on Light Up the Night
by Kendra Walker
Even though there were no fireworks in Mt. Crested Butte last week to celebrate Independence Day, the community will have another opportunity later this year for fireworks at another local event. During their July 7 meeting, the Mt. Crested Butte town council decided to reschedule the town’s fireworks display to December 12 for its Light Up the Night event at the CBMR base area.
With the county under Stage 2 fire restrictions, extreme fire danger and dry conditions in the north valley, the town cancelled its July 3 fireworks display last week leading up to the holiday weekend. According to events manager Rebecca Gagne, the town had already paid a $14,000 deposit for the 2026 show and is contractually required to provide fireworks company Western Enterprises, Inc. with a rescheduled date by July 10, 2026. Any rescheduled display must occur no later than December 31, 2026.
Gagne said that town staff did inquire with Western Enterprises if they would be willing to extend the rescheduling deadline to March 31, 2027, to give the town more options and be able to consider President’s Day Weekend or Spring Break. However, the company said the rescheduled date must occur this year due to fiscal budgeting.
Town staff proposed rescheduling the fireworks show for the town’s Light Up the Night event on December 12. “(That date) would enhance an already popular and well-attended town event and align with the event’s theme of lighting up the night. The show would take place after the menorah and tree lighting and communications at the event would be made to attendees of the best viewing areas for the show,” said Gagne.
The other options proposed for fireworks were for opening week of CBMR’s ski season, or to request the deposit back for breach of contract.
According to Gagne, the town’s attorney Nick Klein believes the town may be entitled to a refund of its deposit under the terms of the contract. “Because the fireworks show was canceled as a result of the Crested Butte Fire Protection District revoking the required permit, the cancellation was outside the Town’s control and may qualify for a return of the deposit,” she said in a memo to the council. “However, based on staff’s previous research of fireworks vendors available for the July 3 and July 4 holiday period, Western Enterprises has been the only company willing and able to provide service in this area. As a result, staff does not recommend pursuing a refund request, as doing so could negatively impact the town’s relationship with the vendor and potentially limit or eliminate the town’s ability to secure fireworks services from Western Enterprises in future years.”
In general, council members liked the solution to reschedule the display for Light Up the Night, but also acknowledged that it is close to Crested Butte Mountain Resort’s New Year’s Eve fireworks. Council members Bruce Nation and Valeda Scribner recognized fireworks are challenging for some – dogs, service members, etc. “There’s a cohort of people that hate fireworks. Having them two weeks in a row is very frequent in my mind,” said Nation. “But I think a one-off is ok.”
The council agreed to reschedule to December 12, and also expressed interest in exploring alternatives to a fireworks display for future Independence Day celebrations. The council and staff will revisit the topic leading up to budgeting season.
