Lexington mayor 'disappointed' with downtown fireworks show, calls for investigation

Downtown Lexington's July 4 fireworks show elicited many negative reviews from attendees, and the company who put on the show is responding to the criticism.

A spokesperson for Pennsylvania-based Zambelli Fireworks says because the fireworks were set off from the Lexington Financial Center, they had to use a certain type of display.

"The downtown fireworks display in Lexington may have appeared smaller than previous shows because it used product specifically designed for rooftop use," the company said in a statement, "This product is manufactured to meet all safety standards to protect the building and the type of roof upon which it is used."

People took to social media to display their displeasure with the much-anticipated show which marked the return of fireworks to downtown Lexington for the first time in years.

Lexington Mayor Jim Gray also announced his displeasure on Twitter, saying he will call for a thorough review of the situation.

The Downtown Lexington Partnership issued a statement Thursday afternoon following the backlash.

"The new location presented a number of logistical challenges and consequently the display did not meet our expectations or those of Lexington residents. We will be working with Zambelli our fireworks provider and community partners to address the issues in order to make the 2019 fireworks show the best it can be."

Downtown Lexington Partnership president and CEO Terry Sweeney also spoke with WKYT following Mayor Gray's criticisms, and he says he is open to the scrutiny.

“We welcome taking a look at the event.We produce six events. Five of them were successful and 15 minutes were not as successful as we wanted. We have a long history of being good stewards of community events, and obviously we want to make sure we provide the best events possible.”