Summer is unofficially here and the push is on again to raise $30,000 to pay for the annual July 3 fireworks display. Seven fundraising events are planned with the first kicking off on Thursday at Old Tyme Italian Cuisine on Boston Street with the others scheduled through July 2.
The fireworks fundraising effort is sponsored Mayor Judith Flanagan Kennedy, but the effort to celebrate the Fourth of July locally is really a citywide event.
The July 3 spectacle is arguably the largest local community event organized every year. Lynn Shore Drive shuts down on July 3 with parking restricted and the seaside commuter road and sidewalk converted into a viewing area that draws Swampscott residents and people from all over Lynn.
The show takes place off Red Rock Park with fireworks rocketing from an offshore barge. In many ways, the show kicks off a host of fireworks displays running the July 4. It also brings together thousands of people for an almost always peaceful and trouble-free celebration of American freedom and heritage.
Only rain can delay the show to another day. But money is the ingredient that makes the July 3 fireworks a success. It is fitting that an event bringing people from all over the city together depends on the contributions and donations of people from all over Lynn and beyond.
City spending priorities are too numerous and serious to allow municipal officials to set aside money for fireworks. The opportunity to raise money to pay for the fireworks is also a chance to appreciate the effort that goes into making the display a success.
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Local businesses and organizations, including Old Tyme, LynnArts, Inc., Wendy’s, Lazy Dog Sports Bar, Gannon Municipal Golf Course, Rolly’s Tavern and White Rose Coffeehouse are participating in the firework fundraising effort with events ranging from theater production proceeds, donations to golf, music and a road race.
The effort to make the fireworks a success is as much a testament to Lynn’s generosity as the fireworks show is an evening aimed at unifying the city. The fundraising effort also showcases the contribution local businesses and organizations make to the city to support the fireworks and other local causes.
Fourth of July is that one of a handful of American celebrations that unites everyone with no regard to race, ethnicity, economic status or heritage. It’s a chance to contemplate the flag and what it stands for and the true meaning of freedom and its fruits.
The fireworks show doesn’t last long on July 3 but the oohs and ahhs from the crowd that serve as a counterpoint to bombs bursting in air offer a local opportunity to celebrate Lynn, to celebrate summer and to understand what it means to be an American.
To learn more about the The Fireworks Fund, call (781) 586-6850.
