Pewaukee July 4th fireworks, gun club donation helps fund show again
PEWAUKEE, Wis. - Pewaukee’s Fourth of July fireworks once again will be a "boom" and not a "bust."
At the Waukesha Gun Club, bangs are their business. The group is once again shelling out money for a different kind of boom.
"Every year, we throw between 3.5 and 4 million targets," said Joe Porter, the club's treasurer.
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Porter said the group prides itself on safety and giving back to community groups.
"We were struggling last year. We weren’t sure the show was going to be able to go on," said Chris Krasovich, president of Friends of the Parks of Pewaukee.
Pewaukee lakefront fireworks
Krasovich credits a FOX6 report from last summer with saving Pewaukee's fireworks for two years in a row.
"Last year, we contributed $10,000 and have done again this year," Porter said.
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Krasovich said show costs increased again from $35,000 last year to $40,000 this year.
"To be honest, the fact that we do the show over the lake also requires an additional cost, because we have to pay for barges," Krasovich said. "Most parks don’t have to do that."
In May, Milwaukee County Parks pulled the plug on its annual July 3 lakefront fireworks show, which was nine times the cost of Pewaukee’s big bang.
2024 Milwaukee July 3rd lakefront fireworks canceled; here's why
Milwaukee County Parks announced on Friday that due to a lack of sponsorship, the lakefront fireworks held on July 3 will not be held in 2024.
North Shore Bank even donated over $2,000 it collected from its parking meters to help make sure the Pewaukee fireworks stayed right on target.
"We all are in this together, and that’s what really makes it happen," said Krasovich.
The Pewaukee fireworks will start around 9 p.m. on Thursday, July 4. It will last about 40 minutes, and organizers promise it will be the biggest show the community has ever seen.