A local committee planning to bring fireworks back to Fonner Park next month is asking for the public's help to reach its goal.
A total of $50,000 is needed to stage the public fireworks celebration on July 4.
“We’ve raised almost $45,000 thanks to the generous support of local businesses,” said Chris Rosacker, a member of the fireworks committee. “We’re almost there. We just need a little more support to get over the finish line.”
With funds raised already, Rosacker said the committee is able to fund the cost of the fireworks themselves and pay a display contractor to launch them. More support is needed to fund all the other associated costs to make the event free for the whole community.
The fireworks display is meant to wrap up Grand Island's celebration of its 150th anniversary.
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Tax-deductible donations may be made by mailing a check to the Hall County Historical Society and earmarking “fireworks” in the memo line. The mailing address for the Hall County Historical Society is 603 N. Plum St., Grand Island, NE 68801. Sponsorships levels are also available in intervals of $500, $1,000, $2,500, $5,000, and $10,000, which earn sponsors increasing levels of recognition.
Thus far, significant donations have been received from the Nebraska State Fair, O'Neill Transportation, Overhead Door, Schuster & Anderson Wealth Advisors, All Faiths Funeral Home, Amur, the Grand Island Convention and Visitors Bureau, Dramco Tool, Equitable Bank, First National Bank/Insurance, Home Federal, Nebraska Fire Sprinkler, Roger and Liana Steele and Stuhr Museum.
Fonner Park has not hosted a July Fourth fireworks celebration since 2019.
Grand Island Family Radio had traditionally organized the annual Independence Day observances, with backing from community sponsors but ceased during the initial months of the COVID-19 pandemic. Many residents have a misconception that Fonner Park had organized those shows. However, Fonner’s role was as a host to the event and one of its sponsors.
For years prior to 2019, the parking lot at Fonner and the surrounding streets and neighborhoods would be jammed with cars, lawn chairs and blankets as the community annually gathered to look to the skies to celebrate the national holiday. The neighborhood just north of Fonner Park even began to organize something of an after-party, which entailed the launch of thousands of dollars of their own collectively-funded fireworks just moments after the conclusion of professional display.
“The annual show of fireworks at Fonner Park was something people really looked forward to,” said Don Deitemeyer, a fireworks committee member. “It was something of a tradition for folks to go see. I can’t tell you how many people have told me they are excited for it to return.”
Anyone interested in supporting the fireworks effort is encouraged to reach out to Dana Jelinek at Grand Island Tourism. Organizers hope that momentum from this year's effort will continue to keep fireworks exploding for the public of the city’s sky for years to come.