Scott Swanson
Of The New Era
Sweet Home’s annual summer fireworks show could be history unless the community helps the Sweet Home Volunteer Firefighters Association to come up with the cash to put on the event.
SHVFA President Wes Strubhar and Secretary Shannon Pettner called on local businesses for help in a Dec. 15 letter that stated the association has “now reached the point where we can no longer raise enough funds to make the show happen.”
Strubhar said that the cost of the fireworks has risen in recent years, while the association’s main fund-raiser, its annual Steak Cookout, has not been able to generate the money needed to meet the costs. He said the pancake breakfast, held during the Oregon Jamboree, was added to augment the proceeds of the cookout, but it has not produced enough.
The fireworks will cost roughly $7,500 for a 30-minute show, which, Strubhar said, “is reasonable. That makes it worthwhile.”
He noted that other agencies, including the Sheriff’s Office, the city police, the city Department of Public Works and the Army Corps of Engineers, participate in the staging of the event.
“There are a lot of agencies that have to put in effort to make it happen,” Strubhar said. “If we were to do a 15-minute show, it’s not worth everyone’s efforts.”
Association members have also earned certification to put on the show themselves, which saves $500 to $1,000 which can be put into fireworks instead of hiring people to put on the show, he said.
Strubhar said that, thus far, the firefighters’ fund-raising efforts look to total about a third of the estimated cost, “the way we’re going.” Strubhar, who’s new to the president’s position, said he believes the association had to dig into its reserves to put on last summer’s show.
In addition to the fireworks show, association members also fund scholarships for local students and sponsor youth athletic teams, as the need arises.
“We really didn’t want to be using everything out of our general fund to cover one event,” he said. “We want to do more things for the community. We’re always trying to help out. We didn’t want, financially, to put everything we’ve got into this one event. We want to be able to put it into other things too.”
Strubhar said Pettner sent letters to members of the local Chamber of Commerce and “early indications sound good.”
“Hopefully, the support’s there,” he said. “It’s a community thing.”
Those interested in contributing should contact the Sweet Home Fire Department at (541) 367-5882.