City is halfway to $10K fireworks fundraising goal

City staff are still about $4,900 short of meeting its $10,000 fireworks fundraising goal, Community Services Manager Brian Laube announced to Newton Park Board members Wednesday.

“We received several recent corporate sponsors for the fireworks activities at Agnes Patterson Park,” Laube said. “We still have some other potential leads on some bigger sponsorships we’ll follow through. I still don’t think we’re at a place or time we need to worry about it yet.”

With less than four months left before the July 4 celebration, the city is determined to still reach its goal. To boost fundraising efforts, donation cards have been prepared at the local Hy-Vee. Melanie Humphrey, chair of the Newton Park Board, said grocery store customers can donate any price they want and Hy-Vee will keep track of the numbers.

Fireworks donation boxes, which cannot be distributed by city employees, were picked up by Newton Park Board members to assign at local convenience stores and other businesses.

According to the minutes of the previous meeting, Laube had asked the park board or the group Friends of Newton Parks to put out donation boxes and be responsible for collecting and bringing them to the city’s community services office.

At the January park board meeting, staff noted the city had raised more than $3,700 for its fireworks show. Newton Park Board did not meet in February due to a lack of agenda items.

Laube said he will be meeting with the fireworks vendor sometime in the next couple of weeks to discuss where the shells will be fired off for the city fireworks celebration. This year’s display is expected to be bit more energetic.

“We do have credit for the rain-shortened product that was spoiled last year,” Laube said. “We’re not going to lengthen the show. We’re just going to make the show a little more tense.”

Residents can still donate online at ia-newton.civicplus.com or mail their donations to the City of Newton’s community services department by addressing letters to 1700 N. Fourth Ave. W. Citizens are also welcomed to drop off their donations in person to the aforementioned address.

Contact Christopher Braunschweig at 641-792-3121 ext. 6560 or cbraunschweig@newtondailynews.com