The campaign to relaunch Fourth of July fireworks in St. Paul is about six figures short of its $125,000 goal.
When you shoot for the stars, sometimes you're going to fall short.
Andy Rodriguez and Ashley LeMay, lifelong St. Paul residents with a knack for un-canceling beloved civic gatherings, aren't giving up on their quest to crowdsource fireworks back into the St. Paul skyline. If not this year, then maybe next.
"We're the Capital City, right? Hosting a fireworks show is important to a lot of people," said Rodriguez, whose Grand Old Day Anyway campaign with LeMay raised tens of thousands of dollars to resuscitate the street festival days after organizers pulled the plug.
After a community outcry and fundraising frenzy, June 2 turned out to be a Grand Old Day anyway, with crowds and markets and wiener dog races down Grand Avenue.
Then it was over, and Rodriguez and LeMay turned to the other gaping hole in St. Paul's summer calendar.
"I can't in good conscience support spending tax dollars on a fireworks display in St. Paul this year," St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter announced last year after turning a rocket-red glare on the city's estimated $100,000 fireworks budget.
This is the second Fourth of Carter's administration, and he's sticking to his decision. The fireworks funding went back into the general fund, where the city probably patched potholes with it.