When the VFW Benjamin D. Cushing Post No. 2425 canceled the long-running Marion Block Party last year, many residents felt the absence and formed a committee to make sure that the event wouldn’t be missed again.
This year another Marion tradition is going by the wayside – the annual Fourth of July fireworks – but some locals think that perhaps its absence will spur people to action in 2013.
“I’ve heard from a few people who are disappointed that it is not being held,” said Jodi Dickenson, Recreation Director. “But I’ve heard from a lot of people who think it is healthy to not have it one year.” Dickenson added the lack of fireworks this year may help people realize they had been taking it too much for granted.
The Marion Board of Selectmen voted last month to cancel the fireworks as no committee work nor fundraising had taken place to get the event off the ground. At the same meeting, the board placed the responsibility in the hands of the Recreation Department.
Former Fireworks Committee Chairman Chris Collings said he had informed the Selectmen last year that the committee would not reconvene, citing problems with raising money from locals.
“It just got lost in the noise. [The Selectmen] just forgot and they hadn’t done anything,” Collings said.
The difficulty in rallying financial community support created significant hurdles, he said. Last year, the committee barely was able to pull it off at the eleventh hour, having to renegotiate the fireworks day and price with the contractor to make it work.
“It became too much work to do it the way it needed it done and to raise the money that was needed for it to be run,” Collings said. “It ceased to be fun, it became how well you can shake $50,000 out of people. Everybody [on the committee] ran out of gas.”
“What’s the most thankless job? The fireworks committee. Nobody writes thank you, few people thank you… The only thing we hear is how hard it is [to give],” he said, although said he is trying to put a “good shine” on what is an unfortunate situation in this economic climate.
Collings said even with the responsibility in the hands of the Recreation Department, the event would still require extensive fundraising. In 2010 the town voted against picking up the tab and the department would still have to form a committee to raise the funds.
“People who I talk to shared their frustrations. They know people feel rather fatalistic… But maybe this will shake them up,” Collings said. He noted that because the town meeting takes place in May – many of the summer residents who benefit from the fireworks event do not get to vote. “
However, Collings said he thinks the Recreation Department is the appropriate place to oversee the fireworks.
“I think [Dickensen] is going to do an awesome job. He is the right person at the right time to do it all… It’s on his beach, his park. It makes complete sense that he handles it,” said Collings.
On his part, Dickensen said that just because the event is in the Recreation Department’s hands, doesn’t mean that the community is off scot-free.
“We have to do year round fundraising,” he said, in addition to obtaining permits, detail officers and working with the fire marshal.
“It’s a whole community thing, it’s not just one department,” Dickensen said. As for whether Dickensen will work to get the fireworks funded through the town, he said it remains to be seen.
By Laura Fedak Pedulli