Time to think about fireworks?

Dear Editor,

As I sit here tonight, the weatherman says that the temperature outside feels like --4 degrees and the overnight low is expected to be --6 degrees with wind chills approaching --20.

This is hardly the type of weather required to get you excited about the subject of this letter. Fireworks.

For nearly 30 years the McCook Elks Lodge benevolently brought to our community a spectacular Fourth of July fireworks display. I have many fond childhood memories of laying on the grass hillside, behind the Elks Lodge building, staring up at the sky, marveling at the brilliant pyrotechnic displays and jumping at the booming artillery reports. The lawn surrounding the Lodge was always packed with families, huddling their lawn chairs together with friends or cuddling on blankets while excited children scampered about playfully. The area streets, driveways, parking lots, and neighboring lawns seemed to be impossibly full of people enjoying the show, as the Elks celebrated our American freedoms with the community of McCook.

In later years I was able to transcend this experience to my own family, as we enjoyed the Elks fireworks display from the grandstands of the Red Willow County Fairgrounds. I remember the excitement of my children, the "OOO" ing and "AH"ing of the audience, and the colors of the bright displays reflected in the upturned faces of the crowd.

We now know how fortunate the community of McCook was/is to have such wonderful community minded people among us. It has now been two summers since our skies have been awash with the colors of a community fireworks display and it has been missed.

Last summer we heard many people wonder out loud, why McCook could not continue to hold a community fireworks display. This question was posed at our local Optimist International Club.

The discussions at that meeting led us to begin investigating the details of continuing such a show. The McCook Optimist Community Fireworks Display Committee has been formed to continue looking at the feasibility of this event.

After two organizational meetings, our committee has enumerated many topics that have been and will continue to be addressed, including: safety, insurance, licensing, permits, liability, purchase of the ordinance, securing a site, parking, clean-up and of course financing the event.

In order to bring this to reality, it is the committee's hope to attempt to draw together the strengths of many more community service organizations. We currently have committee interest from the McCook Elks Lodge, McCook Daily Gazette and the McCook Volunteer Firemen.

This diverse group shall operate the community display under the umbrella of the McCook Optimist Club. The Optimist Club will provide the organizational forces necessary to bring this event to a realistic goal, including insurability.

Please understand that safety and liability are huge concerns of our membership. We know nothing about the storage, handling, igniting, and explosive attributes of highly dangerous pyrotechnics. For these reasons we have proposed to contract a third party to provide you with a community display. This party will be a reputable company with extensive fireworks display experience, as well as knowledge of all local and state laws and necessary licenses or permits. This will ensure that we have placed the utmost importance upon the safety of our community members and their property.

Reputable companies such as these are in very high demand, to provide many displays much larger than ours, in cities like Denver, Colorado Springs, Kansas City and Omaha on the night of Monday July 4.

For this reason, we may be asked to hold our display on either the evening of Saturday July 2, or Sunday July 3.

There will be many items that will need attention, however, our committee feels confident that we can assemble all of the pieces of the puzzle to provide you with a safe and spectacular community fireworks display.

The question of financing this event looms large. In order to provide a show comparable to those given in the past by the Elks club, we believe that a minimum of $5,000 must be raised.

In the coming weeks and months we will initiate several programs designed to raise funds for this project. McCook's current population is near 8,000 people. In simple terms, if most people in our community would donate only a dollar, our needs would be quickly met. We are sure that the show that you will enjoy will result in more than a dollars worth on entertainment.

We know that you are bombarded daily by other honorable and needy charities seeking your help. We only ask that you consider the McCook Optimist Community Fireworks Display in your giving.

The McCook Optimist Club, a member of Optimist International, enjoys the benefits of tax exemption status under Section 501c(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. This status enables us to receive charitable, tax-deductible donations and grants. Meaning that your gifts are tax deductible.

Mail your donations to:

McCook Optimist

Community

Fireworks Display

C/O Sharyn Skiles

P.O. Box 1268

McCook, NE 69001

For more information, or if you (or your organization) would like to be a part of the McCook Community Fireworks Display write to the above address or email to fireworks@ocsmccook.com.

Respectfully,

Trevor D. Premer

Secretary,

McCook Optimist Club