By ALEX COSTELLO
The decision came after Mary Beth Kearns, head of the hastily formed Rockville Centre Fireworks Committee, announced to the board that with the aid of former Deputy Mayor Wayne Lipton and Trustee Jeanne Mulry, she had managed to raise $42,620 - enough to cover the cost of the show.
"We have enough sad times in our lives," said Lipton, who is also the president of the South Shore Symphony, at the brief morning meeting. "And now this is a happy time."
Lipton first voiced his concern to the village board at its April 27 budget meeting after hearing that the fireworks show had been removed from the budget - saving the village $20,000. The board said the decision had followed a recommendation by the Citizens Budget Advisory Committee.
On May 18, Lipton appeared before the board again and read from the 100 or so e-mails he had received in response to a letter he wrote to the Herald ("Fired up over village fireworks" May 14-20). He told trustees that he had received pledges for $10,000 in support of the show. At that meeting, Kearns said she would be willing to start a citizens committee to raise money to save the show this year.
Due to the time constraints raised by the South Shore Symphony - which performs at the fireworks show, but had received offers to play at other events - and contractual obligations with Grucci, the fireworks provider, the group had only until 9 a.m. last Friday - just over three days - to raise the $40,000 the village said it would need.
People started making phone calls immediately, spoke with local businesses and secured pledges for more than $30,000, which was combined with the money Lipton had already been promised. King Kullen and Molloy College were the two biggest donors, pledging $5,000 each. The Chamber of Commerce and the village's Guild for the Arts pledged $3,000 each.
"I'm really in your debt for having stepped up and done this," Mayor Mary Bossart told the group at the May 22 meeting.
Some described the decision to keep the fireworks show a victory for everyone in the village, demonstrating the community's ability to come together. But Gary Krupp, one of the founders of the St. Patrick's Parade, took exception to Lipton's suggestion that support for other events, including the parade, should also have been considered in the cuts to next year's village budget.
"Everyone's a little Irish that day," Krupp said. "The thing that's so attractive about Rockville Centre is that it's a diversified community, and we can all share in each other's culture. It's giving everyone a taste of someone else's tradition."
"We've all been struggling with this decision," said Bossart about initial plans to cancel this year's show. "But these are times we need to decide what's in a government budget and what the community can do on their own.
"And this is a great example of that," she added. "Everyone is to be congratulated."
Comments about this story? ACostello@liherald.com or (516) 569-4000 ext. 207.
