Sean C. Morgan
If the Sweet Home Volunteer Firefighters Association cannot find the cash, the annual Sportsman’s Holiday fireworks display will not happen this year.
The fireworks display draws huge crowds to Foster Lake Saturday of Sportsman’s Holiday.
The association is about halfway there, said Chris Forum, association president.
“We are about a little more than $3,000 short on our fireworks display. We’ve been spending about $6,500 on fireworks for the last couple of years.”
So far, the association has about $3,000, Forum said. The association must get its permit first, but that’s not a big deal.
The association will need to order fireworks by June to be ready for the show the second weekend of July, Forum said, and the association will need most of the cash by then.
A&W is helping with a fund-raising event on May 6, Forum said. The firefighters will have apparatus there to show children and members of the public. The firefighters also will serve and bus tables that night.
“The last few years, we’ve really scraped it together at the last minute and paid for it,” Forum said. “It’s been a struggle.”
The association used to spend more on the fireworks, Forum said, but has purchased smaller mortars the last couple of years. With that arrangement, the association has been able to buy more mortars though, and it has been well-received.
“It’s definitely a community thing,” Forum said of the display. “That’s part of why we’re here. That’s one way we do give back to the community.”
But it takes a lot of work setting up, shooting off the fireworks and cleaning up, Forum said.
To donate directly or for more information, contact the Fire Department at (541) 367-5882 or stop by 1099 Long St.