Granbury Fourth of July Parade, Festival and Fireworks Scheduled Despite Health Concerns

Update 6/25: Due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases, the parade has been cancelled again. Festival and fireworks are still on.

At the Granbury City Council meeting today, members did their best to both promote the upcoming Fourth of July festival, and encourage people to stay safe from Coronavirus.

Councilman Chris Coffman said the council members felt caught between wanting to protect their citizens from Covid-19 and wanting to encourage commerce so  local businesses can gain back some of the income lost during the shut down.

"I've heard complaints from both sides," Coffman said.

The summer is an important season for Granbury because it’s a time when businesses make much of their income from tourists. Events like the Fourth of July Parade and Fireworks attract people from out of town and boost the economy.

On the other hand, Covid-19 cases in Texas are steadily rising: 93,206 Texans tested positive for the coronavirus as of June 16th, and the death toll increased by 46 today, putting the total deaths in Texas from coronavirus at 2,029, according to the Texas Tribune. The message  from the Hood County Public Health Authority on Granbury's city website reads: "I believe we remain at Substantial Risk of COVID-19 transmission, with more positive cases documented locally every week, and with transmission increasing across the country as communities leave isolation."

The City Council's compromise was to hold the parade at a limited capacity, and encourage people who are immunocompromised to stay home.

"If you have underlying health conditions, you should stay away," Coffman said.

The fireworks are still on, but will be launched from an undisclosed location to avoid too many people gathering there. Coffman said the firework show will be, "just as good as what you've seen in the past."  

Hotels are going to be at 100 percent capacity on the 4th of July, according to Convention & Visitors Bureau Director Tammy Dooley.

"We're not really putting extra effort in the marketing so I hope that's okay," Dooley said.

Dooley said Visit Granbury pivoted their advertising to center around outdoor activities.

"Recreational tourism is the number-one form of tourism right now, so it's all about the lake," Dooley said.

Epidemiologists, immunologists, and other experts agree people are safer from Covid-19 outdoors than in an indoor public space.

"We want to continue to have safe practices as we have fun, as we enjoy our lake, as we enjoy our activities," Mayor Nin Hulett said, "I think we can do that; I think that we can continue to keep those low numbers and to keep this virus– it is active-- from spreading."

There are 41 confirmed cases of Covid-19 in Granbury, Texas, to date. Hood County's current level of community transmission or impact of Covid-19 is rated moderate to substantial on the Hood County website.