Own the skies
By Lea Kahn
Donors to the Lawrence Township Fourth of July fireworks display may be able to see their name in lights.
Well, not really maybe just the fireworks shell that they “purchased” with their donation.
Township officials are raising money to put on a fireworks show at Rider University, partly through the “sale” of fireworks shells, according to Steven Groeger, the township’s superintendent of recreation. The goal is to raise $20,000.
The last township-sponsored fireworks show, which took place in 2009, cost about $10,500 for the shells. An additional $10,000 or so was spent on providing live music before the fireworks display, and to pay for police officers, Public Works employees and other staff, Mr. Groeger said.
While it would be nice to have someone underwrite the cost of the July 2 fireworks display, the chances of that occurring are “pretty slim” and that’s why township officials are hoping that many people will buy a shell or two, he said.
Mr. Groeger said a typical fireworks display could contain as many as 4,500 shells of varying sizes. A simple 2-and-a-half-inch shell costs $2, a 3-inch shell costs $4 and 4-inch shells are $9 apiece. More complicated shells cost about $125 each.
”People can say, ‘I want to give $50,’ which would buy 10 4-inch shells. They will know that they contributed toward 10 shells. The more support we get from the public, the bigger the show. The contributions all mount up,” he said, noting small donations of $5 or $10 are not being discouraged.
In the meantime, the township is looking for support from the community both businesses and residents, Mr. Groeger said. The township is looking at different groups, such as senior citizens or students, to hold fundraisers, he added. All money raised is being put aside in a special “fireworks” fund.
The “sale” of the fireworks shells is not the first fireworks fund-raising effort undertaken by the township, he said. Lawrence sponsored a children’s triathlon in September that raised about $1,500, and there have been some commitments from others to contribute money for a combined total of about $9,000, he said.
”At this point, we can do some sort of fireworks show,” Mr. Groeger said. “The (fireworks) company has set aside the date and we are getting closer to determining the size of the show (based on the amount of money raised).”
”If everyone in Lawrence Township would donate $1, we would have more money than we need. Now, we have to pick up the pace and hopefully have a show comparable to what we had in the past,” Mr. Groeger said.
Persons who want to contribute may send a check made payable to Lawrence Township and mail it to Lawrence Township at Box 6006, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648. A note on the check’s memo line should say “Lawrence Township fireworks.”

