Remember this year’s July 3 lakefront drone show? The one Milwaukee County staged near McKinley Beach for the second year in a row, instead of traditional fireworks? Anyone? We assume it happened, but boy oh boy did we see/hear/read nothing about it afterwards. Huh.
About the only thing we did come across was a survey from Milwaukee County Supervisor Sheldon Wasserman, whose district includes McKinley Beach. “What did you think of the Drone Show?” Wasserman wrote in an email newsletter on July 10. “If you attended this year’s Drone Show, I would appreciate your feedback.”
One week later, the feedback was in. Fifty-one folks responded to the survey, Wasserman said, and this is what they thought:
Respondents gave this year’s Drone Show an average rating of 2.76 out of 5, with 5 representing the highest level of satisfaction.
The results showed that attendees were nearly divided on the three 15-minute drone segments, with 49% saying they enjoyed the format, and 51% preferring a different approach.
When asked about the pyrotechnic effects, 62.2% said they would have liked to see more, while 33.3% felt the amount was just right.
Perhaps the clearest takeaway came when residents were asked about future 4th of July celebrations. Nearly 65% preferred traditional fireworks, while about 20% favored a combination of drones and fireworks.
While opinions varied, one message came through clearly: the majority of respondents would prefer to see the return of a traditional fireworks show. Some supported a combination, while only a small percentage preferred drone only. I hear you loud and clear, and the message was received.
Seems about right! More interesting was Wasserman’s intimation that thanks to the lukewarm response and the County’s gazillion-dollar deficit, maybe there won’t be anything next year—a.k.a. the County will just use the drone show money for something else:
It’s important to be transparent about the financial realities. Traditional fireworks come with a significantly higher price tag than the drone show, and Milwaukee County is facing a $50.8 million dollar deficit for 2027. We have not been able to find a sponsor willing to cover the additional cost of a full-scale fireworks display.
Next week, I will be asking one simple question: If traditional fireworks are not financially feasible, would you prefer Milwaukee County continue the drone show with improvements, or would you rather see those funds invested elsewhere in Milwaukee County? I encourage you to participate, because your feedback will help guide my decision on future Independence Day celebrations.
We’ll have the results of that possibly surprising survey next week.
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