Fireworks still will light up the city on the Fourth of July.

But the Freedom Celebration, a 16-year traditional family-focused event, will not fill the park.

“The (Freedom Celebration) committee needs to reorganize,” said Butler Mayor Maggie Stock.

The Freedom Celebration, which began in 1994, has offered numerous events and activities, including music, children’s games, face painting, boccie and bingo.

Although it began at Butler High School, and made a one-year appearance at Butler Mall, the activities have since been centered at Butler Memorial Park.

The celebration grew in activities and attendance throughout the 1990s, and at one point was led by a planning committee of two dozen people.

But by last year the event was teetering on cancellation as officials said health and personal issues among the long-standing planning committee threatened the event.

Then, community members who previously were not on the committee, stepped forward to save it.

“Last year it was sort of a throw together event,” said Amy Tebay of the Salvation Army, which coordinated the food part of the celebration.

This year, apparently, an organizational committee did not form.

Attempts to contact previous committee members were not successful.

“It’s a lot of work,” said Stock, who was not on the committee for the celebration, but did help organize the fireworks.

A car show, which is organized independent of the Freedom Celebration, still will take place. The show, sponsored by the Butler Street Machine Association, will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Butler Memorial Park.

Stock said multiple sponsors pitched in to cover the $11,000 for the annual Zambelli fireworks display, which will be set off at dusk at Pullman Park, hours after the BlueSox game ends.

The Blue Sox play the Slippery Rock Sliders at 4 p.m.