July 4th may have fizzled out, but the rockets will still glare red, white and blue in Wilton at the end of the summer.
The Board of Selectmen voted unanimously on Monday, July 20, to hold a special fireworks display on Saturday, Sept. 5, with a rain date of Sunday, Sept. 6.
“There were some suggestions, some hope on the part of the public, that they missed the fireworks and that it could be a wonderful thing if we could have it on Labor Day and a family picnic at the same time,” First Selectman Toni Boucher said. “It would be something that the public would enjoy.”
Parks and Recreation Department Director Steve Pierce said the fireworks vendor the town works with had confirmed availability and estimated the cost would be about $18,000.
“Obviously we were disappointed in what happened with the weather, as were other communities I believe,” he said, citing the rainstorm that snuffed this year’s July 4th fireworks, “so we felt badly about that.”
“We would have to do some working with the police, fire, that sort of thing, to make sure that they’re available as well,” he said. “We haven’t gotten that far yet.”
Pierce said that in order to obtain state permits necessary for the fireworks display, Wilton would need to confirm with the vendor by Aug. 1. Given the time crunch the BOS decided to add it onto the agenda Monday night and quickly reached an approval.
“I think it’s a great idea,” Selectman Matt Raimondi said, noting that the town’s Registrars of Voters had just received an unexpectedly large state grant of more than $13,000 to offset local costs of early voting for the upcoming primary elections, and suggested it would balance out the greater part of the cost to the town of hosting fireworks.
Boucher said that even if the town couldn’t find the money, she didn’t foresee any problem in funding a rescheduled fireworks show, citing generous donors in the community who would likely help cover the difference.
Pierce said the plan would be to also hold a Freedom Run Road Race on the morning of Sept. 5. Traditionally held on July 4th every year, the 5K had been scrapped for 2026 so that Wilton could schedule a special parade to commemorate America’s 250th anniversary.
Selectman Rich McCarty noted that during Covid, because of restrictions, the town likewise had held a fireworks display on Labor Day weekend.
Merwin Meadows Update
Pierce had other news about Merwin Meadows. While the park’s pond had been closed since August 2024 when 100-year flooding had dumped large amounts of silt and debris into the pond and made it unsafe for recreational use, the facility finally opened partially on June 29 once dredging work was performed. Last week, after some final cleanup work had been completed, the pond was fully opened.
“The pond is clean,” Pierce said. “We’re testing the water weekly, as we always do, and we’re back into normal service down there, which is great for the community and great for the department.”
But not all of Pierce’s news was good. As he had prophesied months ago, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has refused to offer any reimbursement for the dredging work at Merwin Meadows, which came to around $375,000 separate of design and planning.
FEMA had already approved a 75% reimbursement for the design phase, which amounted to just under $90,000 of that $119,000 cost.
“That funding will not be repealed by them for this project,” Pierce said, saying it was already in hand.
The dredging itself, however, in their estimation did not qualify for reimbursement based on their opinion of the damage.
“They thought that it wasn’t significant enough that it would impact the people who were using the pond,” Pierce reported. “We would tend to disagree with that.”
Speaking before the BOS on Dec. 16, 2025, Pierce stated, “FEMA has changed dramatically from when this project started,” noting there would be no guarantee that they would fund the reimbursement.
Pierce said that registration has been a little slow over the summer, but he hopes to see the numbers pick up as the hot weather continues.
Guy Whitten Field Final Touches
Pierce also reported that the sidewalk repair work at Guy Whitten Field was close to starting and that it would be completed before the beginning of the fall athletic season.
“It’s imperative that it gets done,” he said. “Obviously it’s a safety hazard and also this is the time to do it, in the off-season up at the stadium.”
Work will also include improving the lighting from Cider Mill School up to the stadium, he said.
“As you know, that’s the primary walkway for people coming into the game, so it’ll be nice to have that up there,” Pierce said.
“obtain state permits necessary for the fireworks display”. Why would a town need a permit from the state to do fireworks? Just another example of bloated government red tape.