Norwich – City leaders and members of the Norwich fireworks festival committee are being forced to make last-minute changes to their plans for the July 2 event after the Harp & Dragon Pub withdrew as the host of the parking garage rooftop viewing fundraiser.

The City Council will need to hold a special meeting within the next several days – tentatively planned for Monday, June 29, at 6:30 p.m. – to approve a new, and as yet unnamed, host vendor for the fundraiser atop the city-owned Market Street garage. The resolution recently approved by the council specifically gave Harp & Dragon permission to sell liquor on the city-owned property.

Scott Capano, co-owner of the Harp & Dragon, said the restaurant has had a recent turnover of key personnel and cannot properly staff off-site events. He said one management-level restaurant staffer has departed and another is out injured. He said the restaurant recently hired someone, but that person is not yet ready to run an off-site event.

Capano said running off-site events is “equivalent to having an entire second restaurant” for one night. Capano said the restaurant also won't have its usual booth at New London's Sailfest this year because of the staffing shortage.

“We just don't have enough staff right now to do off-site events,” Capano said, “without jeopardizing running the restaurant.”

Michael Franklin, chairman of the Norwich fireworks committee, said the rooftop event will be held as planned with another restaurant providing the food and selling liquor. Franklin has been in contact with city officials over the weekend and has asked for a new council resolution for a new vendor. He said Monday he could not yet name the restaurant.

The rooftop event will begin at 5 p.m. July 2. Tickets for the Market Street garage, which has a commanding view of Norwich Harbor, are $100 for a table of eight people, with food and drinks sold a-la-carte. Individual standing room tickets are $10 per person. Music will be provided by WNLC-FM.

Advance tickets are available at the Norwich Community Development Corp. office at 77 Main St., Norwich or online at www. norwichharborfireworks.com. The committee also is still seeking donations and sponsorships for the annual fireworks festival.

The fireworks will be shot over the harbor beginning at about 9 p.m. July 2, with a rain date of Friday, July 3.

c.bessette@theday.com

Twitter: @Bessettetheday