July 4 fireworks fundraiser underway to bring show over Cathedral Hill

Sky FOX 9 captures July 4 fireworks over Minneapolis [RAW]

Sky FOX 9 captured July 4 fireworks over Red, White and Boom Friday night as Minneapolis capped its Independence Day celebration.

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - America is turning 250 years old this year, and the St. Paul Rotary hopes to raise enough funds by June 15 to host a fireworks show over Cathedral Hill to celebrate the occasion.

July 4 fireworks fundraiser

What we know:

The St. Paul Rotary Club says it is working to bring back a fireworks show called "Red, White & BOOM!" but needs to raise $83,000 in donations by June 15 to make the show possible, aiming for a total budget of $125,000.

The club says it has already contributed $20,000, and private donors have added $22,000.

The goal is to collect the rest from businesses, community groups and individuals.

Dig deeper:

If successful, the 20-minute fireworks display will follow a free patriotic concert at the Cathedral of St. Paul, located at 215 Summit Ave. The group says food trucks will also line Dayton Avenue starting at 6 p.m., with a concert starting at 7:30 p.m., if all goes to plan.

The Rotary Club is also working to coordinate with St. Paul police and fire departments to make sure public safety plans are in place for the event.

Why you should care:

A $30 donation gets supporters a commemorative T-shirt designed by Ezra Young, a University of Minnesota product design student and descendant of a Declaration of Independence signer.

The backstory:

St. Paul’s last major public fireworks were at the Taste of Minnesota festival at Harriet Island Regional Park in 2010. Flooding later moved the show to the State Capitol mall in 2014, and the St. Paul Saints have hosted smaller displays over CHS Field in 2015, 2016 and 2017.

But after Melvin Carter became mayor in 2018, budget cuts ended city-sponsored fireworks.

Since then, only the Saints’ lower-profile, ticketed shows have remained on Friday evenings.

What's next:

If the Rotary reaches its fundraising goal, this year’s event would be the first free, large-scale fireworks show in St. Paul in eight years.

The Rotary Club says it then hopes enough support will make the show a new annual tradition for the city.

More information, and where to donate, can be found at stpaulrotary.org.