The Jackson Chamber of Commerce has taken over the Fourth of July celebration, including the fireworks show, after the Jaycees bowed out of organizing the event.

Ken Parrett, the executive director of the Jackson chamber, said the chamber will work to make sure the fireworks show doesn't drop off in quality. The chamber and the city have contributed $5,000, but $5,000 more is needed for the fireworks, Parrett said.

"We don't think we'll have any difficulty raising sponsorships," he said.

The chamber will also organize the daytime activities, which will not include the mud volleyball tournament this year.

Parrett said that event, while popular, demands too much labor and organization to pull off this year.

He said the chamber is trying to make the event more family oriented, but the main reason for scrapping the tournament was because of planning issues.

"Some may think 90 days is a lot of time to prepare, but it's really not," Parrett said. "I'm not saying that it won't come back in the future."

'Soap Box'One new feature of the Independence Day celebration will be the "Soap Box" event where, from 6 to 8 p.m., people will be allowed to get up on stage and get on their "soap box" for five minutes.

Parrett said the participants, including political candidates, will be able to talk about anything they want, as long as they don't use profanity or slander someone.

"I think this is going to be great," Parrett said.

Many of the traditional events will remain the same. There will be a car show, crafts, kiddie rides, live bands and concessions. Vendors are required to pay a $25 flat fee to the chamber.

"We just didn't want this celebration to go away," Parrett said. "It has become a tradition for families to go to the city park and see their friends and family. We felt it was important to keep that intact."

bmiller@semissourian.com

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