Fullerton Fireworks Are Back On

After announcing back in March that the Fullerton Fireworks for July 2013 were cancelled, the board of six volunteers that puts on the 50-year-old show voted Tuesday night to reinstate it.

Mark Fritsch, president of Fullerton Fireworks Foundation, told board members he learned from county officials last week that a renovation project for the field where the 4th of July fireworks show is held, originally scheduled to begin in spring of 2013, was delayed by a year.

"With that in mind I didn't think we should cancel fireworks two years in a row. If we can do them this year, we should try to do them," Fritsch said.

The Independence Day celebration will be held at Fullerton Field, 4304 Fullerton Avenue, at 5 p.m. July 4 with a rain date of July 5.

Fritsch explained that everything necessary to put the show on—fireworks, portable toilets, a band, vendors—could be put in place in time for the 4th of July which is approximately two months away.

But, because the group thought the show would have to be cancelled this year, the Fullerton Fireworks Foundation hasn't carried out the number of fundraising activities it usually does.

The budget to put on a show like Fullerton Fireworks each year is around $35,000, Fritsch said. Some of the money—about $5,000 each year—comes from donations collected on the field on the night of the fireworks.

Other sources include a bull roast fundraiser (held in April) and bartender nights at area restaurants like Skipjacks (as yet unscheduled this year).

Currently, the group has about $20,000 in their coffers and hopes to make up the majority of the $15,000 they still need by sending out letters to community associations, individuals and businesses soliciting donations, Fritsch said.

"Where we're at now, we can pull it off," Fristch said. "We just need to raise some more money. The more money we could generate the better off we’d be for the following year."

For those seeking to help out, checks made payable to the Fullerton Fireworks Foundation, Inc. can be mailed to P.O. Box 19433, Baltimore, MD 21206. Donations can also be made through PayPal at the Fullerton Fireworks website.