A Peachtree City ordinance designed to prevent the proliferation of tarps and blankets for days on end leading up to the Fourth of July parade and fireworks will be in effect again this year, city officials have said.
That means you should keep your spot-saving devices holstered until dawn Friday morning. The city says dawn is slated to occur at 6:05 a.m., so set your alarm clocks accordingly, if you are desperate to save your favorite spot, that is.
There will be no blankets, tarps or lawn chairs allowed at City Hall Plaza until the 4th Fest begins at 5 p.m. Keeping them away will allow time for the vendors and stage to be set up for the event, which is designed to provide activities prior to dusk and the annual fireworks bonanza.
Any blankets, tarps, chairs and the like set up at City Hall Plaza prior to the 4th Fest will be removed, according to city spokesperson Betsy Tyler.
While this might seem draconian to some, there is a significant contingent of residents who felt the “spot saving” was getting out of hand as some families laid their claim days in advance, Tyler explained.
One city council member last year, during the debate on the ordinance, noted that the proliferation of tarps and blankets for days on end made the city look like “a shantytown.”
As for another thing to avoid on July 4th: don’t plan on setting foot on the mushy grounds of Lake Peachtree. The lake, which has remained low due to a problem with the spillway since February, has drawn lookie-loos whose curiosity has gotten the best of them. Some have lost shoes, stuck in the muck. Others have tried to bog their way through the lake, only to get their trucks jammed along with a commensurate citation from the police department.
