Fireworks Committee seeks community support: ‘Dire situation’ in funding
It was nearly a decade ago, when Brett Surerus was on the South Ferry reading the Reporter, when he learned the Shelter Island Chamber of Commerce had canceled the annual fireworks show. By the time the ferry had landed in North Haven, Mr. Surerus had already called his wife Kelly and a number of friends and set a plan in motion to make up the fundraising gap.
Now, a decade later, that same group of volunteers fundraise year-round to put on the beloved fireworks display.
Members of the nonprofit Shelter Island Fireworks Committee told the Reporter this week that the show is at a critical crossroads, similar to 2016. “We’re absolutely in a more dire situation than we’ve ever been in years past,” said Catherine Brigham, the committee’s president.
Firework leaders say they recognize the show isn’t always on the front of Islanders’ minds this time of year. “It’s tough on Shelter Island. There’s a lot of charities and nonprofits asking for donations and funds, and a lot of them are very worthy causes,” said Mr. Surerus. However, the original format of the nonprofit — raising the cost of the current year’s show and half for the following year — has been grinding to a halt in recent years.
Costs have soared substantially. What started as a need for about $40,000 has pushed past $70,000. Those elevated costs are driven by the standard influx of permits, fireworks and other expenses. But the biggest increase has been the barge anchored in the bay as the launching pad for the fireworks “The barge was the first issue where things really shot up in price. The people we had worked with in the past had either sold or gotten rid of their barges, and no one would sign a year-to-year contract because they were worried the price would fluctuate so much they’d lose money,” Ms. Brigham said.
While the organization’s original fundraising methods worked in early years, today they just aren’t cutting it. The premise of their current fundraising is centered around smaller events, support from restaurants and other local groups, and is heavily reliant on the annual fundraiser at SALT Restaurant and Shipwreck Bar, often referred to as the “Island’s biggest party of the year.” As Ms. Brigham put it, “It’s not a matter of people not donating, it’s just that it’s getting harder and harder to capture that substantial cost.”
Just as Mr. Surerus and a group of volunteers stepped up a decade ago, those same volunteers say they not only need more funds, they need more help. “Without a significant lift, this show is not able to happen,” he said. Canceling the show would be no small feat, and in the organization’s history, it has only happened once, during the COVID-19 pandemic. “People get complacent and say, ‘Well, someone else will save it.’ We need everyone’s help,” Mr. Surerus said.
On the surface, the committee says its newest fundraising format is aimed at giving firework-goers a blank sheet to start new fundraising initiatives. “Back then, we came up with the solution and it worked. Now I think maybe we just need a fresh set of eyes,” Mr. Surerus said. The committee just launched a team-link fundraising platform, where anyone can make their own group on the nonprofit’s website and fundraise in their own ways to help save the show.
“One of our goals this year is to have people not just donate themselves, but try and donate as a team with their friends and their family,” Ms. Brigham said, adding that those interested in creating a fundraising team should email the fireworks committee at [email protected]. “We create a team link for them, and then they can send it to their friends, and hopefully some healthy competition helps to bring money in.”
Mr. Surerus noted that the committee is eager to hear from anyone willing to contribute. “If there is anybody out there who loves Shelter Island as much as I do, then yeah, we’re all ears,” he said.
But with a similar challenge each year, racing to raise enough before July, Ms. Brigham and Mr. Surerus emphasized that the need is not due to a lack of support. Some of the committee’s most loyal supporters are those who contribute small amounts year after year. “We have people who write a $5 check,” Ms. Brigham said.
Without a new wave of support, Mr. Surerus knows what’s at risk. “I never missed a show,” he said. “And I’d hate to have the next generation of Shelter Island kids miss the show.”
Ultimately, the annual display isn’t about the fireworks themselves. It’s that walk down the hill, where it feels like the entire island is gathered. It’s the generations of families lining the sand, a tradition that’s defined summer on Shelter Island for more than six decades.
For those interested in learning more about the committee’s mission or volunteering, contact the fireworks committee or visit their website at shelterislandfireworks.com.
