News
Unexpected Donations Revive Rumson Fireworks
By John Burton
RUMSON - It's a go for the borough's fireworks this July 3. Just two weeks after acknowledging that the borough was unable to meet a contract deadline for the fireworks because fundraising efforts had fallen short, Mayor John Ekdahl confirmed that the borough is moving forward with the event after all.
According to Ekdahl, since first announcing plans to cancel the display, the Rumson Endowment Fund, which handles the fireworks fundraising, had received "three significant checks," which were "sort of unexpected."
"It doesn't bring us to our goal," he added, but it puts the borough, "close enough to sort of see the finish line."
Rumson has held its display for three years, beginning with the community's 2007 centennial celebration, coordinating it with the very well attended display done in Red Bank.
Two weeks ago marked the deadline for borough officials to commit to it with the fireworks company, Garden State Fireworks, Millington, New Jersey. At that time, Ekdahl said the fundraising efforts were about 30 percent shy of what would be necessary to pay for the event and the ancillary costs, such as clean up and security.
The fireworks price tag comes to "north of $100,000," according to Ekdahl, who blamed the fundraising shortfall on the overall economic malaise.
Garden State had been scheduled to orchestrate Jersey City's display.
However, the city had to reconsider its expenditure in this economic climate, as Ekdahl explained, allowing Garden State to free up some needed equipment for the Navesink River pyrotechnics.
"The later it gets the harder it is to make commitments in terms of our equipment," explained Chris Santore, who choreographs the Red Bank and Rumson displays. But, he continued, "It helps that it's identical shows."
"We're definitely excited about it and happy the event will move forward," Santore said.
With the two displays taking place simultaneously, "It just really put the event on the national scale," Santore explained. "Other than Macy's [in New York Harbor on July 4] there's really nothing in size close to it on the east coast."
It is also one of the largest displays that Garden State oversees, with only the "Big Bay Boom" in San Diego, California - with five locations - as its competition for the most extensive for the company, Santore said.
Rumson's fundraising, which has included some generous contributions from residents on the Middletown side of the river, is still about 10 percent off what is needed and, "We're still soliciting funds," Ekdahl said. "We think we'll make it by July 3. But certainly we'll get it done."
But there is a provision in the contract indicating Rumson would have its display only if Red Bank moves forward with its show.
Peter Reinhart, who chairs Kaboom! Fireworks on the Navesink, which is responsible for fundraising and coordinating the logistics, Red Bank was at approximately the same stage for raising money as it was the previous year at this time and efforts were continuing.
Rumson's display usually attracts about 10-15,000, while Red Bank's, which has been done for 50 years, regularly can reach to more than 100,000, according to estimates.
