I was part of the Fourth iof July Committee and I would voulenteer again. But it costs a lot more than $10,000 to run that event. Most people do not realize the committee has to start working on something like this in December to get everything lined up for July.

I was part of the baseball & hockey boosters that ran a booth at the 4th of July weekend-long event. The event was a major fundraising opportunity for boosters & other nonprofit organizations. The event & the funds raised have been sorely missed. Let's bring the 4th of July event back!! It does take a significant monetary investment and many volunteer hours. But we are North Reading and nothing has ever stopped us from putting together a social event that the entire community enjoys! The first steps would be to resurrect the 4th of July Committee and get Warren Pearce back in charge. I will put my volunteer time where my mouth is...I will sign up & get involved. I miss walking over to the park to watch fireworks with my neighbors!

Hi Maureen, Well now there are two odf us who will voulenteer. Lets see how many more come forward to help. We would need Warren Pearce to lead the committee. Warren knows how to get this done but he needs a LOT of help. The funding will be as big problem the way the economy is today. One thing many people do not realize is how many man hours Warrens business put into this for free. We could not expect him to do that again.

If this event is resurrected, I’d like to see consideration given to changing the character of it. Personally, I never cared much for the carnival rides and I felt the two and three day long events never generated enough attendance to justify their duration. How about a scaled-back one-day celebration that was comprised of a barbecue/picnic followed by fireworks; maybe with a little music thrown in? Perhaps this could prove more manageable?

My entire family would help with the 4th of July Celebration. That would add 6 more to your list!
Rich Giannattasio

Hi Maureen and Joe,

Something of this magnitude would actually be best to start planning this July or August the latest. I know when Wilmington has their festivities theirs is an ongoing meeting throughout the year; they do not break after the fourth. They begin planning next year immediately.

Susan

I think John's idea of a one-day event (without the sleazy carnival rides) is a good start. Might keep the costs to a manageable level. I just don't know if there are enough people in town to attend. The town empties out each weekend and holiday, which definitely works against a multi-day event. I can see people coming home early for a town event, I can't see them completely changing their plans to hang at IRP for 2-3 days.

The idea of a one day a event would probably be a great idea with a raindate set for the fireworks display. Initially this would be best and then overtime additional days may be something to consider. The expense for just one day would amount to some expense in itself. Just like anything you need to peak the interest of the community and work from there to build up. Overtime an increase of days and additional activities maybe warranted.
Wilmington has a week long event...with dedicated committee members and community involvement. The carneval is set in back of the school and does not have a cheesy look by any means and it does bring in the revenue

I would love to be part of this. I agree, a one day event is a great idea.

I miss the days when the events were held at the Batch playground, with lots of local fund-raising booths and a few kiddie rides. I *really* miss the fireworks at IRP, but have no use whatsoever for the carnival rides and rip-off midway (although I'm sure the youths of the town love 'em.)

If you need another person for a new committee, sign me up.

Bring back the hockey boosters' fried dough :^)

It might be wise to start again wth a one day event. I do not think we could get the carnival for a one day event. Now before you go bashing the carnival, It made money for us to pay the bills. Would the local vendors come in for one day? I do not know this would all have to be researched.
Scot I am not worried about not enough people to attend. If we have something people will attend. The place used to be packed when we had it for three Days. If they know we are having something I think they will stay home to attend it.

Hi Sue, We would not have to start in August if we were going to have a one or two day event. December would be fine. Wilmington's celebration lasts for a week that is why they start so early.

Why not look to the Moose or the Masons for volunteers? Our charter are to serve our local community.

Fred, The carnival did not pay all the bills. It was a money maker for the Fourth of July Committee but the bills were much more than we made on the carnival. sorry if I made it sound like the carnival paid the whole thing.

Joe, I would have to see the numbers before I could agree or disagree with your statement about the carnival making money to pay the bills, but I'm puzzled: if this were true, then why were the festivities cancelled last year or this for lack of funds? How much of the total costs are paid for by carnival revenues? How much of a shortfall would fundraising have to come up with? I would think that some of the bigger companies in town (WalMart, Teredyne, S&S, etc...) could be convinced to sign up for a grand or more each to be "platinum sponsors" or some such thing. Would Pat Lee want to set up a booth to sell BBQ? Great American Tavern flipping burgers? Little League peddling slush? Hockey boosters with their famous fried dough? Have enough smaller vendors pay a small fee, and sponsor a few Middle School dances and the funding gap can be shrunk considerably.

Fred those are all some great ideas but I do recall a few years ago when the economy was not as bad as it is today these large companies just do not give what people think they will. This would be a major job of the committee to fund raise. I do not know the figures of the last year we ran it. I think the event would cost a lot more than people think. I am not saying lets not try it but I think everyone will be suprised when they see what it cost to put this on. We must remember because of Warren Pearce's generosity we did not have to pay for a lot of services. But we can not expect Warren to donaste as he did in the past he is feeling the pinch just like everyone else.

Our family as well would love to be a part of this! And agree about a one day event without the rides! Growing up here, we used to love the huge Bon fire and Batch set up and would love for our kids to have the same similar July 4 th memories. Please do contact me for volunteering with the committee!

Having grown up in Wilmington, I know the annual "Fun on the 4th" event was a continuation of the town's 200th anniversary way back in the 1980's. or was it the 1970's? Anyway, my point is that their event has been organized and in existence for many years at this point, with events that are already "in the bag" so to speak. And they still meet year-round, with their own building (note the "4th of July" building on Wilmington Common"). I would think that the recreation of any North Reading 4th celebration would require brainstorming, research, and early planning starting as early as possible. And perhaps looking to other communities to see what works for them and how NR might be able to use those ideas, may save some time. Why reinvent the wheel?

I also miss this celebration and disappointed we will not have it this year. I certainly would volunteer to participate on a planning committee and could also guarantee at least a few other volunteers.

It sounds like there is certainly enough interest to look into this furthur. I have sent an email to one of the former members of the Fourth of July committee asking him to contact me. I have several questions I want to ask him. I will report back here on Patch after i speak with him.
I want to be perfectly clear, I DO NOT want to Chair this committee but I will give the time needed to have a celebratioon next year as long as everyone who says they will help comes through.

Although North Reading doesn't have a fireworks display, they have the one of the best Concert series around. Who else in the immediate area has a concert, BBQ, children's entertainer, pony rides, generous business sponsors, community spirit at the best park (Ipswich River Park) every Wednesday for six weeks? Everyone who comes has an amazing time! See you next Wednesday (7/6 at 5PM). Have a GREAT weekend. North Reading Parks & Recreation

I would like to be on a planning committee to bring the 4th back to North Reading. Maybe at the BBQ's on Wednesdays donation boxes could be set out for next year's fireworks. A few dollars at a time adds up. Joanna

I recently moved to North Reading and the previous owner of our house told us about the past Independence Day celebrations at IRP. Trying to find information about it has brought me to this blog. I too would be interested in volunteering my time to help revive an event to commemorate this day.

I think Independence Day is a fantastic way to bring the community together. I would love to see our town have a town celebration including fireworks but they are very expensive - much much more than the 10K someone referred to. I lived in Wilmington most of my life and they do a phenomenal job fundraising for their week long 4th of July events.
I'd love to be part of a 4th of July committee and perhaps we could start with a slightly less ambitious project. I attended both the Burlington and Wakefield parades and was so impressed. They are a fantastic way to bring the community together and to highlight town businesses, volunteer programs, sports and school and other activities/clubs. A parade has the potential to be a great fundraiser for the town as well...perhaps proceeds going to improving IRP. Anyone have any thoughts/interest?

Are you one of the many North Reading residents who misses the town's 4th of July celebration? Want to help do something to bring it back for 2012? Then please plan to attend a preliminary meeting at the Library meeting room on Wednesday July 20 at 7PM to discuss what it would take to "Bring Back the 4th!" This meeting is open to all North Reading residents; all that's required are great ideas and a willingness to work hard to make this happen!

Ten people attended the first meeting of the "Bring Back the 4th" committee , five of whom have been part of the Patch discussion above. If you are still interested in making this effort a success, please plan on attending our next meeting on Thursday, August 4 at 7PM in the Library meeting room. The more people who participate, the easier it is to spread the workload. If you have any questions or need more information, please drop me a line at fred.chalmers@comcast.net.

The 4th of July Committee needs your help! A core group of volunteers has been hard at work since August raising funds and planning the event but we need more help. With just 4 months to go until the 4th, we're still far short of our $30,000 fundraising goal, and need more volunteers to work on the Entertainment, Infrastructure and Vendor (i.e. local non-profits) committees. If you want to help make this event a reality, we need you to join us. Please visit our website at www.nrbringbackthe4th.org for contact information.

Joe Veno. Next 4th of July: you and I are making fireworks in this town. We are...NR...