July 4 fireworks display fund needs spark

July 4 fireworks organizers promise bang for the bucks again this year at Lake Wylie. How many bangs depends on how many bucks.

Each year, at dusk from Camp Thunderbird, a fireworks display fires off on July 4 with boats lining near Buster Boyd Bridge and cars lining parking lots nearby. But Thunderbird is just the staging site. Camp sets up a fund but doesn’t foot the bill for the community display, which costs five figures each year.

“The goal for the fireworks fund is always $25,000. However, the show will be managed within the budget and amount of money people contribute,” said Susan Bromfield, president of the Lake Wylie Chamber of Commerce.

Nearly as long-time a tradition as the fireworks themselves is the final push for community donations. A letter to past contributors has been sent. The fund has to keep at least $5,000 after July 4 for a down payment the following year. Usually almost all the funds come in during the final weeks before the show.

“Quite honestly, we are nowhere near our goal,” said Brad Rippetoe, operations director at Camp Thunderbird.

While camp maintains the fireworks donation fund, it’s also the busiest season of the year for staff there. A first session ended Friday with another 500 campers expected Sunday and Monday. Yet, even with the fundraising work, the fireworks are an important part of camp and Lake Wylie.

“In my 17 years here at Camp Thunderbird, the Lake Wylie Fourth of July fireworks has been a great tradition not only for the campers but maybe even more so for the community,” Rippetoe said. “It is fun to hear the local community tell the stories about how their own parents took them to see the display when they were children and now they are taking their own children.”

Typically, donations range from $10 to the $2,000 contribution from T-Bones on the Lake, where the deck makes for one of the better firework viewing locales.

“People are asked to contribute in any amount,” Bromfield said.

While plenty of money remains to be raised, organizers are optimistic.

“We hope the community will continue to support this tradition for the Lake Wylie community,” Rippetoe said.

To contribute, send donations marked “Camp Thunderbird Fireworks Fund” to 1 Thunderbird Lane, Lake Wylie, SC 29710.

This story was originally published June 30, 2016 at 10:28 AM with the headline "July 4 fireworks display fund needs spark."