Fourth of July Committee

                                                    Fireworks update: 2025

As some of you know, the 4th of July Committee has had to make the difficult decision to forego a fireworks display as part of the 2025 Independence Day celebration. We did not come to this decision easily or without a great deal of thought and consideration. The core of this decision comes down to cost. We are sure it is no surprise to any that the expenses associated with a fireworks display are not immune to inflationary pressures; in fact, they have far exceeded the rate of inflation. In 2024, we had to move the fireworks display from the traditional July 3rd night to June 30th to afford the expense. Even with that change, it was still a struggle to raise the funds to pay for them. In short, the effort it would take to fund raise to support a fireworks display was threatening the Committee’s ability to deliver the other elements of our celebration, such as the parade and Village Green activities, which are also rising in cost.

We met with the Board of Selectmen at the end of last year to discuss the challenges we had with raising enough money for the fireworks. The BOS decided to include a separate warrant article on the ballot in March asking the voters if they approve raising $12,500 for the 2026 fireworks display. This was the best way to determine whether to continue with the firework tradition in town.

If anyone would like to learn more or help the committee plan all of the 4th of July festivities, please reach out or attend a meeting. We meet on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at the SAU building and always welcome new faces.