After 22 years of Madison’s biggest Fourth of July event, the firework show sponsored by Rhythm and Booms has been shut down due to inadequate funding.
Rita Keliher, president of Madison Festivals Inc., said many of the companies that they usually contact for funding chose not to support the event, and those that have supported in the past decided to drop their donations to a lower level.
Keliher said she believes the city will be negatively affected by the absence of the firework show. She said many families came to watch and many annual reunions were scheduled around the show.
“It brought people together for one day a year to celebrate our nation’s independence and to stop for a moment and think about that and have family and friends come together,” Keliher said.
Ald. Mike Verveer, District 4, said he was disappointed to hear the news that Madison Festivals Inc. could not secure the funding it needed. Verveer said he did not think the company needed to make a firm decision based on finances until January, so he was surprised to hear a decision a month early.
While Rhythm and Booms will not be held, Verveer said the city will still hold its own fireworks in Elver Park on the west side of Madison.
On whether there is a chance to save Rhythm and Booms, Verveer said he thinks there is still time for a few donors to step forward and make the show happen.
The show has undergone a few changes in the past, including an environmental concern that may have contributed to funding issues, Verveer said.
Three years ago the coordinator at the time, Terry Kelly, made the decision to step down from his position, Keliher said. American Family was the presenting sponsor and they called Keliher to a meeting and asked her to take control of the event.
Another change involved the location, Keliher said. The fireworks show was originally taking place at Warner Park, but Mayor Paul Soglin wanted to switch the location because of high police service costs and the large amount of people who attend.
There was also a violation issue with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, Keliher said.
“Someone filed a complaint with the DNR about use of the island for the fireworks,” Keliher said. “The city had been violation for those 20 some years and DNR knew this but they never had to act on it because no one ever filed a formal complaint. Once they did the city had quite a bit of remediation to do to bring the island back its original condition.”
Because of this violation, Keliher had to find a new location for the fireworks display, and she settled on an area by John Nolen Drive.
Keliher said she believes events like Rhythm and Booms are what makes the city special.
“Anytime you lose a big event like this for the city you are losing a free activity [that] a lot of people who can’t afford to travel to go to another big Independence Day celebration are looking forward to,” Keliher said.
