Do you want to see Brooklyn fireworks continue? With survey

Are you interested in seeing the fireworks continue in the Village of Brooklyn? Anyone wishing to have input is invited to complete the survey here: https://forms.gle/v1V5X9KZQfHoqFL47

By Matt Schepeler

A group of 10 individuals gathered August 8 at the Brooklyn library to discuss whether or not the fireworks in the village will continue, opening the doors for a larger discussion on what other services are missing not only in Brooklyn, but the community at large, encompassing the area lakes.

For many years, fundraising for the Brooklyn fireworks was done by the (then) Brooklyn-Irish Hills Chamber of Commerce, while the display itself was put on by local pyrotechnic Rich Turner, who handled the details of purchasing, storing and setting off the fireworks. When Turner retired and chamber officials decided they no longer wanted to be involved with the fireworks, the project floundered, and eventually the longstanding tradition of having fireworks in the Village of Brooklyn disappeared altogether.

In 2023, resident Terry Mahr and a few other volunteers decided to bring the fireworks back, not only for the sake of the fireworks, but, she noted, but to help regain something they felt has been lost by the community. They hoped to foster a sense of community pride that once existed in the village, but felt had dissipated. The fireworks had always brought thousands of people into the village and created a sense of excitement, and Mahr felt the long-standing tradition needed to be restarted. She and a small group of individuals did that. They raised money, hired a professional pyrotechnics company, promoted a parade, and took care of dozens of other details like getting insurance, securing the school grounds, getting port-a-potties for the event, and more.

Danice McEldowney, who has been involved in promoting activities in the village, said that she believes there is interest in the community in seeing the fireworks continue. “The question is, how are we, as a community, going to get up-to-speed on how we promote things and how do you get people’s attention,” she asked.

She noted that there seems to be a void that needs to be filled not only regarding the fireworks, but with other activities. She noted that the chamber of commerce, which has grown to encompass other communities, has changed directions by becoming more regionally focused, and that perhaps a new group should be formed to help fill the void.

Others agreed there is a disconnect in the community, not only in promoting activities in Brooklyn, but in bringing people together by hosting events.

“Let’s face it,” said Brooklyn businessman Tom Knutson, who was in attendance, “Brooklyn is a whole lot more than just the village,” adding that the surrounding lake communities are vital to the village’s economy and should be considered an important component moving forward.

“There are so many things that could be done here,” he said, comparing Brooklyn to Tecumseh, Chelsea and Grass Lake. “Those communities are absolutely on fire,” said Knutson.

Perhaps, it was noted, a new group needs to be formed to promote Brooklyn and engage the community at large, with funding the fireworks being just one of its primary goals. The idea was floated of creating a Brooklyn area chamber of commerce or other not-for-profit.
“We need to create a sense of purpose, and we need to fundraise all year long,” said McEldowney. She noted creating such an organization might allow people who are “maybe emotionally disconnected from working from home, from social media, from a lack of ability to communicate with their neighbor” to get involved.

“We have to find a way to make the connection,” she said.

But, first things first…

John Smith said the first order of business should be to determine if residents actually want the fireworks to continue, to determine if residents are willing to pay for it, and learn what else they want to see happen on the Fourth of July…if anything. There is no sense in moving forward otherwise,” he said.

In fact, last week’s meeting was called when volunteers promoting the fireworks came up short in fundraising. Fortunately, they had about $2,000 left over from 2023, but still needed to come up with $1,700 to pay the debt.

It appeared that Mahr – who also serves as Brooklyn village president but volunteers her time for the fireworks separately from those duties – would have to come up with about $1,700 out of her own pocket to pay for the show until a local business owner stepped up and paid the balance of the bill.

“I am glad they [Atlas Restaurant] did that,” said Mahr.

“For now, we need to decide whether we have enough volunteers or enough money to go ahead with the fireworks next year.”

This year’s fireworks were largely seen as a success, as thousands of people again flooded the village to see the show. However, fundraising still lagged, and it was noted that optimism doesn’t pay the bills.

Fundraising efforts for the fireworks consisted primarily of putting out donation jars and soliciting businesses through letters. A small Facebook campaign was also launched. While some businesses responded to the letters with checks, Mahr said that the donation jars were largely ineffective. It was noted that less and less people carry cash than in the past, and that different tactics might need to be employed in the future. For instance, Callaghan’s Coffee Café in Brooklyn had some success fundraising by allowing customers to donate to the fireworks by rounding up their credit card payments.

Residents also need to be aware that the fireworks are not associated with village government, and that no tax dollars goes towards paying for them.

But money isn’t the only thing needed, and Mahr reiterated that she believes more people need to get involved if it is to continue.

McEldowney added that she wants to see more publicizing of the event in the future. “I would love to see a feature regularly updating residents of what is happening,” she said.

It was eventually decided to put a small survey out to the community (see attached) to gauge residents’ desires on the topic before any further action – or any action at all – is taken. Jan Knutson agreed with Smith that this needed to be the first step.

Do people want the fireworks?

Are they willing to help defray expenses?

What else do they want to see happen?

“Until we know that, said Smith, “There is no sense in moving forward.”

See last year’s finale by clicking below.

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