A changing of the guard in Rockville Centre

The Rockville Centre Conservancy will not be responsible for funding the village fireworks display this summer, its president, Michael Shenker, told the Herald.

The non-profit conservancy group, which was established in 2009 to preserve and educate residents about village parks and public spaces, funded the display in 2010. But this year, its leadership decided to use its resources elsewhere and will not enter into a contract with the company that will supply the fireworks.

Shenker said the conservancy is currently planning other projects in the village, and will use its funds to support them. “We won’t be the party liable for the fireworks contract,” Shenker said. “But we’d still be open to participate in a different capacity.”

Now that the conservancy has decided to step aside, the Rockville Centre Guild for the Arts has stepped in to lead the financial campaign for this year’s celebration, which is held in Centennial Park at Mill River on the weekend after the Fourth of July, and celebrates the anniversary of the incorporation of the Village of Rockville Centre.

Mary Beth Kearns, active in the Guild, said that many residents and local businesses have already reached out to provide financial support for the event. Among the notable businesses that will sponsor the display are Molloy College, the Rockville Centre Chamber of Commerce and Mercy Medical Center.

Wayne Lipton, a former village trustee and president of the South Shore Symphony Orchestra, said that the sponsors would attempt to raise approximately $40,000 for the summertime extravaganza.

In the past, the village had sponsored the celebration. But in a budget-cutting move two years ago, funding for it changed hands after trustees pulled financial support. Last summer’s event, like those before it, featured a fireworks display by the Grucci family, but the village’s contract with the company expired after last summer.

Kearns said that Bay Shore Fireworks has been contacted as a possible replacement, and that the Grucci contract could still be renewed in time. The fireworks celebration will again feature a concert by the South Shore Symphony in a relaxed and convivial setting for villagers and spectators from near and far who bring refreshments and picnic on the great lawn.

The Guild for the Arts will start to collect donations for the fireworks display sometime in April or May, and residents will be able to participate if they choose.

“It’s important that a lot of people get involved, …” said Kearns. “And a lot of them do.”