Wauwatosa's much-maligned July 4 drone light show appears to be a "one and done." The city's Civic Celebration Commission voted Sept. 25 to return to a Fourth of July fireworks display in 2026 by forging a new partnership with West Allis.
One upside of that plan is a joint Tosa-West Allis fireworks show likely would be held on the same day, July 4, as Wauwatosa's long-running Independence Day Parade. In 2025, Wauwatosa scheduled its parade and the drone light show at Hart Park on two different days, partly because of police staffing constraints.
One downside of partnering with West Allis, however, is that the fireworks would be launched from a field near West Allis' Nathan Hale High School — not over Wauwatosa's Hart Park or anywhere else within the Tosa municipal boundaries.
That said, Wauwatosa Civic Celebration Commission members were optimistic that a partnership with West Allis would produce an even more spectacular fireworks display for both communities while crucially alleviating concerns in Tosa over public safety, staffing and cost that had made it unlikely fireworks ever would return to Hart Park.
"Our residents want a fireworks program," Robert Brunow, the commission's chair, said in summarizing his recent conversations with West Allis leaders, who were receptive to the idea of a joint program.
West Allis budgets about $25,000 for its Fourth of July fireworks, Brunow said, and its event location can accommodate larger displays without greater risk to public safety. Wauwatosa fire officials have warned that Hart Park and the surrounding neighborhood do not offer enough open space free from potential fire hazards for them to confidently endorse fireworks there again.
If the two cities were to split the cost of a larger fireworks program in West Allis for 2026, on what will be the 250th birthday of the United States, Brunow said, "we will be able to have the best fireworks program in Milwaukee County."
Brunow introduced the idea about a half hour into the commission's evening meeting at City Hall, after members had engaged in a wide-ranging and at times animated debate over the city's Fourth of July festivities. They were joined by City Administrator James Archambo, Police Chief James MacGillis and Assistant Fire Chief Barbara Kadrich.
By the end of the meeting, those present seemed relieved to have found a way forward that has the potential to appeal to the community's interests while balancing the challenges the city faces in putting on these types of large events.
"I think that's the kind of creative solution that we probably should take seriously," Archambo said at one point during the discussion of a partnership with West Allis. "We work with those folks all the time."
He also suggested a possible tagline for the new fireworks show: "Bigger and better together."
One thing is almost certain: If Tosa had brought its Fourth of July drone show back for a second year, it would have had a lot of complaints on its hands.
The decision to replace Tosa's traditional fireworks program in 2025 was promoted as "an effort to prioritize environmental sustainability, public safety and inclusivity." Some residents, especially those sensitive to loud noises, might find a light show more enjoyable, planners said.
While the 2025 drone show drew a fair number of defenders, many others complained it was a pale substitute for the fireworks show.
"I received comments from many people. Not one single person was positive about having a drone show," Brad Foley, who represents District 2 on the Wauwatosa Common Council, said at a Sept. 23 committee meeting where the city's civic celebrations were discussed.
"There's some traditions that can change, some traditions that should stay," Foley continued. "I think having fireworks on the Fourth of July, especially the 250th anniversary of this county — I think we need to have fireworks." He added that if Tosa doesn't offer fireworks, people will leave or avoid the city to attend those programs elsewhere.
Two days later, Joseph Makhlouf, a council member from District 3, made a similar appeal at the Civic Celebration Commission's meeting. "A 14-minute drone show is just not cutting it, from all the comments that we've heard," he said.
But the city would face significant challenges if it tried to bring fireworks back to Hart Park, Archambo told the commission, starting with cost. Wauwatosa's overall expense for Independence Day festivities in 2025 was about $80,000, and hosting fireworks at Hart Park on the same day as the parade likely would drive that cost even higher because of additional police, fire and public works resources.
City officials also voiced serious safety concerns, from the need to dedicate a full EMS crew to the fireworks event to the risk that fireworks shells and embers might land on spectators, buildings, cars or the recreational facilities at Hart Park.
"Hart Park is too small for a fireworks show," Archambo said. "If the event is to be at Hart Park, it has to be a drone show."
Some questioned how the city was able to host fireworks at Hart Park in the past and what is different now. Kadrich said the fire department has never been fully comfortable with the city launching fireworks at or near Hart Park. She described one past fireworks program at which crews spent the duration putting out spot fires that had started accidentally near the launch site. Other mishaps could pose even greater danger.
"With the wind, we don't know where they're going to drop," Kadrich said. "We've been trying to make it work. ... We just can't do it there anymore. It's just not safe."
The launching space available to West Allis, on the other hand, is "huge" and can accommodate higher-caliber fireworks, Brunow said. "It would be quite a program," he said, while acknowledging that the location still would not be ideal.
"I think it would upset a few people that we're not in Wauwatosa, but we have no options," Brunow said. "People have been complaining to me in emails after the drone show, they couldn't see it, they couldn't hear it, or whatever the reasons were. So, at least they're going to get a fireworks program on the Fourth of July."
MacGillis said the Wauwatosa Police Department should have no problem supporting West Allis police on that evening, even after staffing Tosa's Independence Day Parade in the morning.
A joint fireworks program in West Allis raises no red flags for the fire department either, said Kadrich, who praised the spirit of collaboration.
"Obviously, Wauwatosa has its identity. It wants to keep it. It wants their name on it. West Allis probably feels the same," she said. "But coming together, like you guys alluded to, the 250th anniversary, to make it better and each community might save a couple thousand dollars ... I think you're going to give both communities an amazing show that you wouldn't get without coming together."
The Civic Celebration Commission concluded by voting to authorize Brunow to continue discussions with West Allis officials and work out the terms of partnership on the fireworks program, as Tosa leaders begin planning for fundraising efforts for the Fourth of July festivities.
- David Paulsen, a Tosa East Towne resident and editor of Tosa Forward News, has more than 25 years of experience as a professional journalist. He can be reached at editor@tosanews.com.
