Fireworks set to blast off for 62nd year

The beloved July 4 tradition of the Shelter Island Fireworks show will blast off on Saturday, July 13, from 9 to 9:45 p.m. over Crescent Beach. 

This year, the now 100 percent donor-supported Shelter Island Fireworks show will turn 62 after another successful year of fundraising by Shelter Island Fireworks, Inc., a nonprofit 501(c)(3) started by Island residents Brett and Kelly Surerus, Carla Cadzin and James Richardson.

A rite of passage for children and a beloved tradition for adults, the annual pyrotechnics show caps off a leisurely day of beaching and barbecuing with family and friends on Crescent Beach under the light-splashed night sky.

“The spirit of Shelter Island is on display annually as exhibited by the donations, support and community dedication to this fireworks spectacular,” Brett Surerus told the Reporter over the weekend. “We still need donations. It’s our hope each year that the Island will continue this tradition for generations to come.” 

The display used to be sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce, but in March 2015 the organization announced that it could no longer afford to foot the bill.

“The donations get harder to raise every year,” said Kelly Surerus. “That’s because there are so many worthy organizations on the Island. We come up with different events and ways to fundraise because we want everyone to feel that they own a little bit of it. Our next event will be at SALT on July 12, sponsored by Gosling’s, and we’ll have raffles and lots of fun surprises,” she added.

Get ready for a day of fun in the sun ending with fire in the sky.