New leadership to Fourth of July show at the Expo brings new changes

JACKSON COUNTY, Ore. — The fourth of July event at the Expo has been held there for the last 17 years. It was previously known as Red, White and Boom which was put on by the Medford Chamber of Commerce, but this year the City of Central Point is spearheading the event and calling is Boomfest.

With new management this year, came uncertainty about who would pay for the event.

“When Boomfest came around we didn’t have the budget for it,” Rob Holmbeck with the Jackson County Expo said. “So we had to come up with a budget and make it work.”

When the event changed management, the City of Medford had to find new sponsors to help put on the event.

They ended up footing the bill, keeping the event free for everyone. But the goal wasn’t just about making the event free, it was to make it safe too.

“We had a fire last July after the fair and it caught our attention and said it’s time to do something about it,” Holmbeck said.

According to the City of Central Point, the area around the Expo hadn’t been cleaned up for four years.

That led them to spend nearly ten thousand dollars to clean up flammable blackberry bushes around the venue.

“We removed about 5 acres of blackberries out behind the amphitheater this year,” Holmbeck said.

This years Boomfest will still feature concerts, fireworks, games, and food.

For additional safety, officials have added a designated area for people to set off their own fireworks that will be monitored closely by Fire District 3.