With no citizen’s or community groups stepping up to take the reigns of the Annual Morro Bay 4th of July Family Picnic and Fireworks Show, the City staff has decided to put on an event at Tidelands Park, sans the fireworks show at dusk. A City staff committee, plus Council members and co-chairs Christine Johnson and Noah Smukler, and community volunteers, is coordinating the event, which will run from noon-5 p.m. on the Fourth of July and feature several special events. Those include a skateboard race organized by Jack Smith of the MB Skateboard Museum; a Rock-to-Park July 4th bike parade coordinated by Johnson and Amy Burton; live music; dockside boat tours; and kid’s carnival and activities in the park. Anyone wanting to volunteer can email Johnson at: . The future of the 4th of July show was tossed into the air several months ago when the Morro Bay 4th, Inc., the volunteer non-profit group that took over the event for the Chamber of Commerce about 7 years ago, called it quits, citing burnout among its small board. Morro Bay 4th sought to find another group or new group of board members to take over the event, which has gotten quite expensive to put on. Fireworks are the largest single expense. Ironically, while no fireworks will be set off for 4th of July, the new-look, one-day Harbor Festival is planning to have a short fireworks show when it takes over the Embarcadero from Beach to Anchor streets in early October. The City committee’s next meeting is from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Thursday, May 7 at the Community Center’s Studio Room.