He’s a man on a mission to keep the traditional Festival Fireworks display shining bright.
Eric Rayner, 25, Ellport, will have his chance to lead a community-wide effort to raise funds to keep the fireworks display. Humble about his plans, Rayner insists that he just stepped up because he saw a need.
“This isn’t about me,” he said. “This isn’t a me thing. It’s a we (community) thing.”
Rayner was just not ready to settle for a festival without its beloved fireworks.
He found out during Monday night’s Ellwood City Area School District Committee Meeting that use of Helling Stadium is still a “go” since it was already approved previously by the school board.
His plan to raise funds was met with encouragement by the entire board as a whole as well as the public in attendance.
His fundraising efforts came upon the heels of a festival committee announcement that there would not be a fireworks display during the 2019 Ellwood City Arts Crafts and Foods Festival. The committee attributed the change to cost and the need to make cuts.
The decision, according to the committee, centers around parking profits.The committee said they asked the Ellwood City Area School District board for use of the school district lots at the Ewing Park School site and the football stadium along Joffre Street but were only granted use of one lot.
“Parking revenue is an essential part of the Festival’s financial plan,” the committee said. “In some years, parking proceeds have totaled more than 20% of the total budget.”
The school board expressed disappointment in the Festival Committee’s decision to cut the fireworks out of the budget, and Board President Jennifer Tomon said the move is simply political.
“Local politics at its worst … that’s how I’ve seen the nine hard working people at this table and the EC football boosters, who I might remind everyone, are all volunteers, characterized,” Tomon said. “I would argue local politics at its worst would be the festival committee making a wildly unpopular decision and blaming it on the five people who just so happen to be up for re-election next month. That’s no coincidence. That’s politics.”
Tomon presented numbers from the tax returns of the Ellwood City Arts Crafts & Food Festival.
“From September 1, 2014 to August 31, 2018, the festival committee’s fund balance grew $24,713 for an 83% increase,” Tomon said.
The Ellwood Football Boosters were also pointed out in the festival committee letter. The festival committee said in 2018, the Ellwood Football Boosters took 60% and gave the committee 40%; and said that for 2019, the split for the committee has been be reduced to 65/35.
Sam Teolis was in attendance at Monday’s board meeting representing the football boosters and vowed that the boosters would be the first group to make a pledge to Raynor’s fundraising efforts.
The next step for Rayner is to meet with the committee to come up with a fundraising plan. He said plans are motion for that to occur on April 17.
He posted a video to his Facebook page on April 6 to insist that the community can work together to save the fireworks.
“I think it’s a shame and I think we can do something about it,” Rayner said. “I know for me it’s always been a tradition to have the fireworks I’ve watched them every year since I was able to remember them.”
In his video, Rayner expressed concern that allowing features of the festival to fall to the wayside year after year may start a trend that will end with the entire festival coming to an end.
His mission is gaining traction among the community. Many have liked and shared his Facebook video as well as a page he started: “Save the Ellwood City Fireworks 2019.”
A 2011 graduate of Riverside High School and proud father of a 2-year-old son, Rayner said he’s an action taker—an quality he hopes to pass onto his young son.
“I always see people complaining about things but rarely stepping up and doing something,” Rayner said. “I want my generation to be a generation of action takers.”
Although details about ways to donate haven’t been determined yet, anyone interested in following and supporting Rayner and his efforts can follow his page for updates. He hopes to have those details following his April 17 meeting with the Festival Committee.
Insurance will take care of that plan…. but good luck….