LAC LA BICHE - The decent-sized crowd that had gathered in McArthur Park on the evening of Sunday, Aug. 4 to enjoy a fireworks display - the grand finale for Lac La Biche Summer Days 2024 - were probably more than a bit surprised and possibly even disappointed when the explosion of colourful lights over Lac La Biche Lake started 15 minutes earlier than normal and was relatively short in duration.
As to the reason for the show unexpectedly getting underway around 10:45 p.m. instead of the scheduled 11 p.m. time, according to Jihad Moghrabi, a spokesperson with Lac La Biche County, this was due to a miscommunication.
“Lac La Biche County apologizes for the error, and we’re exploring options with the contractor for possibly implementing a bonus fireworks show in the near future,” he told Lakeland This Week. “We’ll announce more details when available.”
The fireworks show is put on as a way of wrapping up the August long weekend celebration, which has been a staple of the local community for decades. Regarding the price tag that comes with this Summer Days event, Moghrabi explained that the cost was $12,500, which is what Lac La Biche County usually budgets for this display.
Moghrabi continued by saying that given that the budget is about half of what the County includes for Canada Day each year (which is a $25,000 fireworks show held annually) Summer Days fireworks are shorter in duration to match the price.
