Chamber will need to raise money for next year's Fourth

The chamber of commerce will work to raise money over the next nine months or so as it looks ahead to paying for next year’s Fourth of July fireworks and events.

The annual royalty raffle is the chamber’s major fundraiser for the summer celebration, and this year’s proceeds are short of what’s needed to fully stage the 2023 Fourth, said Brittani Robbins, executive director of the chamber.

The chamber would like to raise an additional $20,000 to $30,000 before next summer to ensure the fireworks, events and prizes can continue at the same level as past years, she said.

Royalty contest ticket sales totaled $56,260 this year, on par with the $57,648 in sales in 2019, when there also was just a single royalty contestant selling raffle tickets in town. Two contestants last year sold $114,564 in tickets.

The record is $126,408, set in 2016, also with two contestants.

The royalty contestants receive 30% of ticket sales proceeds, Robbins said, and after other costs are deducted, such as the cash prizes, ticket printing and electricity for the downtown food pavilion, the chamber is left with about 40%.

This year, that works out to about $22,000 for the chamber to put toward next year’s Fourth. The fireworks alone can cost up to $20,000, Robbins said.

“The funds raised should pay for all the fireworks and all the prize money,” she said.

“We’re going to try to do extra fundraisers,” she said last Friday. Maybe a couple of small carnivals, too.

Another option could be looking for businesses to sponsor portions of the fireworks, Robbins said.