A nearly 20-year Fourth of July fireworks display put on annually by three northeastern Johnson County cities has come to an end.
The cities of Fairway, Roeland Park and Westwood announced on Wednesday that the long-standing show put on at Bishop Miege High School in Roeland Park is not happening in 2026 and won’t be returning after that.
This decision comes as Bishop Miege plans, in the coming months, to install synthetic turf on the baseball field that has served as the fireworks launch site.
“The Northeast Johnson County Fireworks Display has been a valued community tradition for many years,” the cities said in a joint statement. “While we explore all reasonable options, there is no viable location that allows the event to continue in its current format.”
The Post has reached out to Bishop Miege officials for comment, and this story will be updated when we hear back.
The three cities looked at other firework site options
In their joint statement, the cities said Fairway, Roeland Park and Westwood leaders looked at other possible locations within each of their city limits to host the fireworks display in 2026 and subsequent years.
The cities tried to find options that would be safe for such an event, while also delivering an event of similar size and scope as the one hosted at Bishop Miege, the cities said.
“After careful review, no existing open space met the minimum safety, logistical, and operational requirements necessary to host the event,” the joint statement reads.
The cities expressed gratitude to Bishop Miege and the Archdiocese of Kansas City in Kansas for their partnership over the past two decades in hosting the fireworks show.
This won’t be the first time in recent memory that the NEJC fireworks show has not happened. The display was put on pause in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and did not return until 2022.
“A huge bummer”
In the immediate aftermath of the announcement, some residents took to social media to share feelings of frustration and sadness in response to Roeland Park’s Facebook post announcing the cancellation.
“Well this is a huge bummer,” one person wrote in a Facebook comment.
“Oh how sad,” another person wrote on Facebook. “We’ve cherished this since we moved here in 1998.”
“[Aw], bummer!,” another Facebook commenter wrote. “But, my dog thanks you!”
“Loved the fireworks here,” a Facebook user wrote. “Thank you for hosting 20 years!”
One Facebook commenter proposed moving the fireworks display to the former Westwood View Elementary site in Westwood. That site is on track to become a luxury housing development, and the old school building has been demolished.
New July 4th celebration may be possible in future
The joint statement on Wednesday noted that the three cities will continue to look for partnerships with other northeast Johnson County cities for a new Independence Day celebration.
Residents can receive updates on any such partnerships through Fairway, Roeland Park or Westwood’s official communications, according to the joint statement.
Roeland Park Mayor Michael Poppa told the Post in a statement on Wednesday evening that he “share(s) our community’s disappointment with the news.”
Still, several other events are happening in 2026 in northeast Johnson County, he said, including gatherings related to the World Cup.
Multiple northeastern Johnson County communities are also turning 75 this year, including Roeland Park, with numerous events planned to celebrate the milestone, he said.
“While these events are not meant to take the place of the annual fireworks display, they will offer additional opportunities for us to gather in community,” Poppa said.
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