One year after return to Pueblo West, Fourth of July Wet Parade may again get the axe

Last year's Fourth of July Wet Parade may very well have been the last in Pueblo West, as metro district staff report they've been unable to find a company willing to provide security for the event this year.

Interim District Manager Christian Heyn told the metro district board during its Monday meeting that last year, the wet parade returned after a several-year hiatus, in large part due to the efforts of former board President Nick Madero. However, challenges involving safety and security and the potential for human/vehicle collisions have clouded the future of the event.

Heyn said two major safety concerns are instances of people running into the roadway to throw water, and some water gun users splashing motorists in the face as they drive along the parade route.

"We hired an external security company and they ran into a lot of challenges," Heyn explained of the 2023 event. "When we went out for quotes 90 days out from the event, we got no people who responded other than that same security company who said they are not willing to do it again based on the experience they had last year."

Pueblo West Parks and Recreation Manager Carol Cosby said that 40 security officers and members of the Pueblo County Sheriff's Office helped out with security last year, but "people were still coming from the sides of the road into the parade. Going from 40 security to none this year because no one put in bids, it is pretty scary."

A slide presented at the meeting showcasing some of the safety concerns included a photo of a man in the roadway shooting a water gun into the window of a vehicle, and a bicycle rider next to a vehicle.

"Do we want a scenario that will risk bodily harm or worse that could cause liability for the district, or do we want to do something else this year?" Heyn questioned. "Most of our concerns don't come from our community, they come from people that attend from outside of the community — the things we saw last year, especially with the sheriff's office tracking down some people, was that they were not part of the community."

Heyn said he knows the parade, which became known as the largest public water fight west of the Mississippi, is a beloved tradition in Pueblo West, but it would probably be better to reimagine a holiday celebration. Ideas include hosting a community day at the park, where either a water gun fight can take place or the fire department can bring a ladder truck to the park to "do kind of a spray and a mist" for people who want to cool off, Cosby said.

Pueblo West Metro Board Member Joe Mahaney said he likes the idea of a water gun fight in the park because "the grass would benefit from water being applied."

Pueblo West Board Treasurer Brian Axworthy said he has first-hand experience trying to protect children from being doused repeatedly by ice water. He said the parade was "once a great event that was innocent and fun, that became a little vicious and it is a shame it's come to this."

Doug Proal, acting board president, said he likes the tradition of the water parade, "if we could police it somehow," and if that is not possible, "we need to keep a tradition of a celebration going."

Brian Gray appointed to vacant board seat

In other business, the board voted unanimously to appoint Brian Gray to the seat vacated by Madero. Votes for candidates Greg Roberts and Brian Lucas stalled out with a 2-2 vote both times.

Gray is serving on the Pueblo West Committee of Architecture and works in the building construction industry, said board secretary Dave Vickers. Gray's seat on the architecture committee will have to be filled now that he has been appointed to fill out the remainder of Madero's term.

More on the 2023 wet parade: Water restrictions won't rain on Pueblo West wet parade after metro district revives it

Chieftain reporter Tracy Harmon covers business news. She can be reached by email at tharmon@chieftain.com or via X, formerly Twitter, at twitter.com/tracywumps. Support local news, subscribe to The Pueblo Chieftain at subscribe.chieftain.com.

This article originally appeared on The Pueblo Chieftain: Why Pueblo West's Fourth of July Wet Parade may be discontinued