Mayor’s Challenge to raise money for fireworks
COSHOCTON – Coshocton Mayor Steve Mercer is challenging the community to join him in contributing $10 to ensure that there will be fireworks at the fairgrounds this year.
The challenge is to individuals, community organizations, businesses and clubs and continues until Tuesday, July 2.
The Mayor is hopeful that 1,000 patriotic citizens log onto the Coshocton Towne Centre Association website, coshoctontca.com, and hit the donate icon to contribute $10 to the July 4th fireworks fund.
The Mayor created this challenge for the community to help raise money to ensure that the tradition of the July 4th fireworks lives another year. He said the people in our community are very generous and we should not have a problem helping the Towne Centre Association reach its goal.
The problem of raising money to pay for fireworks is not unique to Coshocton. Other area communities face their own struggle coming up with enough donations to ensure the holiday tradition lives on and in many cases the displays have been canceled. With fewer contributions this year from the business community and the passing of the anonymous benefactor to the the display, it looked like the event might be canceled until the Mayor stepped in with his challenge.
The Coshocton Towne Centre Association is expecting to spend $15,000 for the July 4th celebration with $10,000 earmarked for the pyrotechnics.
“Donations are down this year and we have a way to go,” said John Raytis, who is heading up the fundraising effort.
Raytis said that efforts so far have raised just over $2,500. He has been involved in this effort for more than 15 years and he said that he has never seen giving this slow.
“In past years, when donations lagged, someone in the business community would step in to help, but with the economic downturn that has not happened the past couple of years,” Raytis said. “I think that this year is our wake-up call. The committee has worked hard to raise money and this year we have done mailings, put donation cans out at other events and asked people to donate.”
The Mayor’s Challenge is a means to allow everyone to get involved in a small way and assure the July 4th celebration continues into the future.
Category: Arts & Entertainment
