BERLIN – The town is seeking sponsorships for its annual July 3 fireworks display.
With Independence Day a month away, the Town of Berlin is still looking for businesses interested in sponsoring the town’s annual fireworks display.
“People love the fireworks,” said Ivy Wells, the town’s economic and community development director. “We want to provide this fun evening for our residents, but we can’t do it without the help of sponsorships.”
July 3 fireworks have become a popular mainstay in Berlin since they were first held at Heron Park in 2016. The display, which is typically set for about 9:15 p.m. on July 3 at Heron Park, has increased in cost in recent years, however. Wells said the town was looking for businesses and organizations interested in sponsoring the show.
“People want the fireworks to continue but the cost has gone up,” she said.
According to Wells the display costs close to $12,000. So far, she’s received a commitment for a $2,500 donation but says more funding is needed.
The town is offering various sponsorship levels tied to a red, white and blue theme. A $2,500 “Red” sponsorship comes with various advertising benefits, while a $1,000 “White” sponsorship provides sponsors with a logo and link on the BerlinMainStreet.com event page. At the $500 “Blue” level sponsors get logo recognition on event advertising.
Anyone interested in sponsoring can access the sponsorship form on the town’s website, berlinmd.gov. Wells said interested businesses can also email her at [email protected].
Town officials approved the fireworks sponsorship program last year, after the cost of the program came up during budget discussions. At that time, while Wells acknowledged that sponsorships helped cover costs, she pointed out they could also add to her department’s expenses if not handled carefully. When a business sponsors an event, there are added expectations for advertising and promotion from that business. Wells also noted that she didn’t want any one corporate entity to completely take over a particular event.
Officials opted to cut half of the $10,000 usually included in the budget for fireworks and to pursue sponsorships.
“This really is designed to help offset a portion of our annual expense for the Independence Day fireworks show,” Mayor Zack Tyndall said at the time. “We previously used to accept contributions or sponsorships for this. This is an effort to be able to return back to that and offset that expense.”
Officials said they were willing to try the sponsorship program for a year to see how it went.
