By Lea Kahn, Staff Writer
With less than three weeks remaining, the push is on to raise nearly $7,000 toward the goal of $20,000 for the annual Fourth of July fireworks show, said Steven Groeger, the township’s superintendent of Recreation.
The fundraising effort received a boost last week, when a representative of the Greenacres Country Club handed a check for $1,000 to Mayor Jim Kownacki at the Township Council meeting last week.
Township officials now have $13,200 in donations, including $2,500 from The Lawrenceville School, Mr. Groeger said. An additional $400 is expected to be donated as the result of a fundraiser held over the weekend.
But whether the goal to raise $20,000 is met will determine how bright the skies will be over Rider University on the Fourth of July, he said.
”Last year, we spent $18,000 on fireworks,” Mr. Groeger said. “If we can collect $20,000, we can increase the show by the portion of that extra money, and also start the ball rolling for next year’s fireworks show. The more money we collect, the more that goes into the show.”
Lawrence Township does not fund the fireworks show through the municipal budget, he said. The township stopped funding the fireworks show in 2010 because of budget concerns.
That’s when the private fund-raising effort coordinated by the Lawrence Township Recreation Department was launched to pay for the fireworks show, which has been held at Rider University since the 1990s.
”It’s not too late to donate money,” Mr. Groeger said. “We still have three weeks left to raise money to come up with whatever dollar amount it is going to be. No amount of money (donation) is too much or too small. Last year, we received a check for $5.”
Donation canisters have been distributed to businesses throughout Lawrence, from Bossio’s Deli, Varsity Pizza and the Tastee Sub Shop on Lawrence Road to Chuckles’ Pizza and the Manors Deli at the Manors Corners Shopping Center.
Mr. Groeger pointed out that if every one of the 33,000 township residents donated $1, there would be more than enough money for the fireworks show. In fact, the show could be twice as large as it has ever been.
The fireworks shells cost about $10,000, and the rest of the targeted amount of $20,000 is used to cover overtime costs for police officers, the fire marshal and the entertainment.
”We want to make this show bigger and better for the people who are there (for the fireworks show) because they support it and they enjoy it,” Mr. Groeger said.
Checks payable to Lawrence Township can be sent to the Lawrence Township Recreation Department at 2207 Lawrence Road, Lawrenceville, NJ 08648. Donors should write “fireworks” on the memo line on the check.

