Town officials on Tuesday approved a $31,000 contract with a Douglassville, Pa.-based company for this year’s Independence Day fireworks at Waveny, the 40th Family Fourth celebration at the public park.
Selectmen Kit Devereaux and Nick Williams voted 2-0 in favor of the contract with International Fireworks Manufacturing Company.
Tom Stadler, chair of the Family Fourth Committee that oversees the popular show, said revenues from sales of passes have risen following efforts to educate the attending public that the fireworks are not town-funded but rely on monies collected privately through the passes.
“This past year we were able to fund not only the whole entire show but also give some money to the Emergency Medical Services so they could buy that golf cart and there’s a stretcher on it—it’s equipment for the emergency medical people which we were renting each year from Norwalk so deiced to help them buy it,” Stadler told the selectmen at their regular meeting at Town Hall. “Also we helped the Police Department with some work on their trailer. So we were able to do that and still come to a break-even after that.”
The selectmen asked whether the fund operates at a deficit (no, though it had been about $20,000 in the hole due to an unusual year recently where public safety personnel were compensated in wages rather than comp days), how much money is in the fund now (about $70,000) and how much has been spent on fireworks in the past (it was $25,000 for about 10 years, then $30,000 last year).
July 4 falls on a Saturday this year.
Stadler said the bouncing play structures that typically are set up in the forecourt of Waveny House are all lined up for the event, as are most of the food trucks.
“And we’re going to add some more local food suppliers, so we’re in pretty good shape,” he said.
Other Family Fourth Committee members include Robin Bates-Mason, Steve Benko, Scott Cluett, Chris Cody, Wendy Dixon Fog, Win Goodrich and Sue Holland.
[Note: This article has been corrected to identify a Saturday as when July 4, 2020 falls.]