LAKEPORT – Faced with economic challenges, the Lakeport Regional Chamber of Commerce is asking for the community to help fund this year's July 4 firework display.
Over the last two decades the Lakeport fireworks display has been a major draw at the lake's north end.
“For all of these years the chamber has done the fireworks – we signed the contract, we did the whole things,” said Chamber Chief Executive Officer Melissa Fulton.
Fulton said the chamber has funded the fireworks through the annual “add a dollar” campaign, assisted through local merchants, as well as large donations to the effort by the city of Lakeport.
But last year the city didn't budget the more than $13,000 of the total $18,000 bill that it usually pays toward the event. After discussing the issue over several meetings, the council agreed in March to give the chamber $5,000 toward the total costs from the city's redevelopment budget, as Lake County News has reported.
The chamber previously had projected an $11,000 deficit for this year. Fulton said the financial picture has since improved slightly, due to laying off one staffer and cutting back on expenses. “I'm hoping we come out in the black.”
Still, Fulton said that, due to its financial constraints, the chamber can't fund this year's fireworks display, so they're going to the community to ask for assistance.
“If the community feels that the fireworks are important, then they'll help us,” said Fulton. “It will be a community fireworks program.”
She said she will once again seek a monetary contribution from the city. The chamber and the city haven't discussed whether or not the city will restore full funding in the future.
Fulton said, so far, the support and enthusiasm appears to be there, despite the economic issues everyone is facing. This year's display also is estimated to draw larger crowds in the wake of the city's recent decision to deny the applications of four nonprofit groups seeking to sell safe and sane fireworks.
The chamber formed a fireworks committee which began meeting in February, Fulton said.
The committee includes Lakeport Mayor Ron Bertsch, who also represents the Early Lake Lions; Ross Kauper, Lakeport Kiwanis; Kevin Burke, Lakeport's police chief and interim city manager; Leslie Firth, Lakeport Main Street Association president and a chamber director; Armand Pauly, a chamber director; Barbara Breunig, Lakeport Main Street Association treasurer; and Richard Knoll, Lakeport Redevelopment Agency director.
Fulton said the group has met three times so far, and will hold another meeting at 3 p.m. Tuesday, April 7, at Lakeport City Hall, 225 Park St. The public is invited to attend.
The committee has looked at ways to cut back on the estimated $17,300 that the display will cost this year – an amount which doesn't include the cost for sound system rental for the boat parade, said Fulton. The celebration won't feature the coordination of fireworks and music as it has in the past.
To keep costs down, Fulton said the committee considered having the fireworks fired off from land, specifically Natural High School's campus on Main Street.
Fulton said the fireworks company representative visited Lakeport earlier this year and determined they could do the firing from land, but they wouldn't be able to use the largest fireworks, which are 6-inch shells.
The committee decided it wanted to have the same size show as in previous years, so they chose to have the display fired from barges the chamber purchased several years ago for the fireworks display, Fulton said.
The committee has created several corporate sponsorship levels to support this year's fireworks display, including Betsy Ross, $50; Ben Franklin, $75; Abraham Lincoln, $100; George Washington, $500; and Uncle Sam, $1,000.
For more information on the committee or to make a donation, contact Fulton at 707-263-5092 or via e-mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
E-mail Elizabeth Larson at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
