Fireworks funding sees explosive start

Kevin Cooper recalls the first time he was charged with organizing the Fourth of July fireworks on Siesta Beach — it was exhausting.

Cooper, executive director of the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce, had taken his current position in 2010. He arrived at the beach at roughly 6 a.m. on the Fourth of July to oversee the VIP Beach Party, a crucial fundraiser for the chamber, and left at 10:30 or 11 p.m., he said.

“When you see something that you (organized) light up the night sky,” he says, gesturing with obvious excitement, “that makes it all worth it.” It also happened to be his first time as a spectator at a Siesta Key fireworks show.

Cooper’s story is one of a fresh Sarasotan, however, nostalgia that many find in the spectacle drives massive demand for the show, which will cost approximately $34,000 this year.

As with most problems a non-profit organization faces, funding is the highest hurdle the chamber meets as sole bankroller of the event. It must pay Zambelli Fireworks, a Newcastle, Penn.-based fireworks manufacturer, upfront for the pyrotechnics, which comprises 85% of the total cost of the celebration.

Further, the profit margin of the showcase is as thin as leaves of a sea grape plant. Of the 240 spaces available for reservation as part of the VIP package, the chamber must sell 220 to cover costs, Cooper said.

“We don’t leave ourselves much room,” he says.

In addition, most of the revenue raised to pay for the show comes in during the two weeks prior.

The fireworks show in Akron, Ohio — Cooper’s hometown — was scaled back in 2010 and canceled in 2011 because the city could no longer afford the three decades-old tradition. Cooper doesn’t want to allow a dark sky to hang over Siesta Beach on Fourth of July, so he brought the business virtue of diversity to the non-profit organization.

So far this year, the chamber has raised $2,500 for the event, which is more than it had raised this same time last year.

Instead of seeking a large firm to partner with in exchange for firework funds, he ratcheted up the number of fundraising events, such as the Siesta Key 5K run, and a raffle to be the lucky person to play “Wile E. Coyote” and start this year’s fireworks show with a cartoonish TNT plunger.

The Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce Poker Tournament, which will be held for the first time Thursday, June 7, will accommodate 200 people, but even with the early success of raffle tickets, Cooper is staying reserved.

“With new events, it’s always an uphill battle,” he said. “You never know what to expect.”

These all complement the Fourth of July VIP Beach Party, which was the focal fundraising effort prior to Cooper’s arrival, and it still bears importance.

“People have come to expect certain things,” he said, “and our job is to give it to them.”

Gold Coast Distributing Inc. provides brews, and Siesta Village restaurants bring the food. The cost is $150 for two adults, $15 for children ages 11 to 15, and it’s free for kids younger than 11.

Mark Smith, chairman of the chamber’s board of directors, is usually the “watermelon man” at the beach party, slicing hunks of melon for people from all over the county.

“I’ve always been impressed by community involvement,” he said.