Duane Hicks
Call out
for groups
to step up
The Fun in the Sun committee will not being going ahead with any Canada Day activities except fireworks this July 1.
The reason is a lack of volunteers, committee chair Randy Thoms said yesterday.
Thoms said the group got very little response to a media blitz last week, with only three requests from people to join, one of whom showed up at the committee’s most recent meeting Wednesday evening.
This was far less than he was hoping, noted Thoms, adding he had plotted out how many volunteers they would need to run everything they did last year for a four-hour period (1-5 p.m.) on July 1 and determined it was at least nine.
“What we decided amongst the three individuals that did attend [Wednesday’s meeting] is that this committee can’t proceed any further, and we can’t plan Canada Day,” Thoms explained.
Besides the fireworks, Thoms believes the mini-king and queen contest and volleyball tournament, neither of which are helmed by the Fun in the Sun committee, will go ahead on Canada Day.
“We’re basically saying, ‘You can continue those events as you wish, but the committee really isn’t in a position to offer any real support,’” said Thoms.
Thoms added the door is open for service clubs or any other groups or individuals to step up and organize the parade, put on kids’ activities, arrange food booths, or hold a Bingo, or come up with something altogether new.
“If any of those groups step forward and say, ‘Hey, we’re going to take the ball on this,’ the committee, or what’s left of us, we’ll support them and they can have access to any of the [extra] funds that right now are being requested through our ‘Celebrate Canada’ application,” he explained.
Thoms said that application is still pending approval through the government. Fun in the Sun has asked for $12,000.
The bulk of this is earmarked towards bolstering the fireworks display. For the past few years, the fireworks budget has been $10,000, including an annual $5,000 grant from the Town of Fort Frances.
The fireworks committee asked if that budget could be increased to $15,000.
If they get the full $12,000 from “Celebrate Canada,” a large portion of that money will go to fireworks, with the leftover funds to be used for whatever Canada Day activities other groups may want to stage.
Another outstanding matter is the Fun in the Sun committee must repay the town $5,000.
Last year, council agreed to contribute an annual grant of $5,000 for fireworks, as well as a one-time loan of $5,000 to help pay for fireworks for that particular year.
Thoms said the committee has a commitment to repay that loan, and currently could cover almost 60 percent of it.
Fun in the Sun soon will launch a fundraising campaign, including collection boxes.
“We have a number of collection boxes that we hope to place in various locations around the community that will assist in raising money for the fireworks and groups who may want to put on the event using their own volunteers,” Thoms remarked.
“Those boxes will go out soon, probably in the next week.”
Thoms clarified that Fun in the Sun has not folded and still stands by its application to “Celebrate Canada.” But from a committee standpoint, it has no chairperson and he won’t be calling any more meetings.
However, he will oversee funds and provide some guidance to those who want to organize their own Canada Day activities.
Anyone interested in can e-mail Thoms at thoms.randy@radioabl.ca
