Chaffee to stage first-ever bike rodeo; fireworks update

The City of Chaffee, Missouri, will hold a children's event Saturday to register bicycles and to meet municipal police officers, city firefighters and members of the Scott County Sheriff's Office.

"We have an assortment of bicycles right now and we don't know who owns them," said city administrator Lee Horton.

"In the future, if bikes are registered with the city, we'll have information on hand if they're ever lost, stolen or found," he added.

According to the city's website, identification kits will also be able to help law enforcement if a child ever goes missing or becomes separated from family members.

A bicycle obstacle course is planned as are raffles for kids aged 4 to 12 at the event, which will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the VFW Hall, 217 S. Frisco St.

Fireworks

On Wednesday, Horton said the city will not stage a municipal Independence Day fireworks display this year because of supply chain issues affecting wholesalers.

NBC News reports fireworks supplies nationally is down an estimated 30%.

Last year, the United States imported about 255 million pounds of fireworks, mostly from China, according to data from the research firm IHS Markit.

Companies increased their orders after record-breaking sales last year neared $2 billion, meaning this year there could be a shortfall of more than 76 million pounds of fireworks, the television network reported.

The cost of purchasing retail fireworks is prohibitive, Horton added, noting Chaffee's budget for such displays is quite small and depends largely on donations.

Notes

• James Lyerla has completed his required 40-hour certificate work and will become the first-ever school resource officer assigned to the Chaffee School District beginning in the fall.
• Bids for refuse service will be opened July 19 by the Chaffee City Council. The contract for the current trash collector, Waste Connections, expires Sept. 1.