Fireworks won’t light up the July sky: COVID cancels beloved summer event

The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has caused the cancelation of the annual Shelter Island Fireworks show, originally scheduled for this July 11.

Brett Surerus, president of the Shelter Island Fireworks Board of Directors, announced the decision on Monday afternoon.

“We are cancelling as the health and safety of our fellow Islanders is paramount,” Mr. Surerus told the Reporter.

The 100% donor-supported Shelter Island Fireworks show was set for its 63rd year after another successful cycle of fundraising by the nonprofit started by Island residents Kelly Surerus, Carla Cadzin, James Richardson and Mr. Surerus.

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

The display used to be sponsored by the Shelter Island Chamber of Commerce, but in March 2015 the organization announced that it could no longer afford to foot the bill. The nonprofit was formed and residents stepped up to keep the tradition alive.

“We will be working on the plan for 2021,” Mr. Surerus said Monday.