Fundraiser on tap for fireworks

The Town  Board Monday night tackled the issue of fundraising needed for the annual fireworks show by extending the hours of an event at SALT organizers hope will enable them to save the event.

Their action came in the wake of Catherine “Cat” Brigham speaking to the Town Board last week about the difficulty of closing the gap to provide the show on July 11 and create a cushion for the future to keep the tradition alive.

The resolution provides the fundraiser at SALT July 5 — the single largest fundraising event for the fireworks — can run from 6 p.m. to midnight.

Last year neighbors complained an 11 p.m. ending was too late and disturbing to them. Their comments came practically at the last minute and the Town Board listened to arguments on both sides and just before the night of the fundraiser, opted to allow the amplified music to continue to 10:30 p.m.

It was a compromise between the organizers’ request to continue until 11 and the neighbors request that it end at 10 p.m.

The result was that it was hard to fund last year’s event and left no money as a cushion for this year’s fireworks, Ms. Brigham said.

The later ending makes a difference in how much money is raised, she said, explaining that those who stayed late drinking and dancing had a tendency to contribute more money.

That was especially critical this year to pay the costs of this year’s fireworks and to create a small cushion to carry over to 2027.

With inflation and tariffs affecting contribution amounts and little time to cover costs for the July  11 fireworks, she was hoping for a miracle. She said she has spoken with neighbors who understand the situation and were flexible for the once-a-year fundraiser.

This fireworks tradition was launched by the Chamber of Commerce in 1957 and continued year after year until in 2015 Chamber members said they could no longer spend as much on a single event without hurting other programs they sponsored.

That’s when a small group of Islanders jumped in, accepting the challenge and have managed to raise money and organize the fireworks.

If the community had come to regard the fireworks show as a summer event, they were suddenly faced with the reality that the finances had become a challenge threatening to end the tradition.

The anticipated cut in income predicted by  Catherine “Cat” Brigham did occur last year, not only making it tight to meet expenses for 2025, but leaving no cushion for this year.

Right now, the committee is at a deficit, Ms. Brigham said. Brett Surerus, one of the  leaders of the original community group that took over the fireworks in 2015, backed up Ms. Brigham, saying the solution lies in longer hours for the fundraiser.