(KCPW News) A 23-year summertime tradition is in danger of coming to an end once again due to funding. The annual 4th of July Sugar House fireworks show still needs $50,000 in order to go on. Scott Workman, who took on the task of raising sponsorships last year to ensure that Sugar House had fireworks, says he is not having the same luck this year.
“I think part of the problem is there are a lot of people out there that just don’t realize that we need to save it every year,” said Workman. “I think that was part of the problem is last year, we did such a good job of saying ‘we saved the show, we saved the show’ and so I think in a lot of people’s minds it’s saved forever.”
Last year, companies like Wal-Mart, Whole Foods, and Noodles and Company donated, but this time, Workman says their situations have all changed.
Until 2009, Sugar House Park always funded the fireworks, but that funding is gone.
“The park basically had gotten out of the funding and putting on of the show and kind of turned it over to private individuals who wanted to step up and take on that responsibility and so the city is actually not really the funder of the event, it was the park in the past,” said Workman.
Workman says unless more sponsors step forward in the next couple weeks, the show will not go on, because permits are due by June. Learn more about the 2011 Sugar House fireworks here.
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