Fisk Fireworks’ final fête? Small community known for big spectacle struggles with funds
Daphne LemkeUTICA - Next year, Fourth of July may be a little quieter in Winnebago County.
Every year on July 3, the unincorporated community of Fisk, located about five miles southwest of Oshkosh, puts on a "Fire in the Sky" fireworks show to crowds of spectators from across the area, funded entirely by donations.
This year, the volunteers are significantly short of their goal, with only $355 of the $10,000 they need to put on the show, according to the Give Send Go listing as of noon, Friday.
The 2022 show is still on, but according to the Fisk Fireworks Facebook page, the first year the organizers have to pay out of pocket will be the last year of the show. Mike Christianson, one of the organizers, said donations are accepted through the end of July to reimburse the cost of the show.
"We raise it all on our own, and (the cost) just keeps going up," Christianson said.
The shooters and clean-up crew do the work for free, and the money instead covers the fireworks, insurance and port-a-potties, he said.
Every year, an additional goal is to fund a 16-inch shell, if the funds raised surpass the year's need. The largest shells the show uses are 10 inches, according to the Give Send Go listing.
The tradition started with Tommy Dodd, volunteer fireman and honorary Fisk mayor, working alongside a team consisting of mostly firemen from the Utica Fire Department. Christianson took over when Dodd developed glaucoma and couldn't shoot.
"The show's been here forever," Christianson said. "I've been shooting fireworks since I was about 18."
Community donations have funded the show ever since Dodd died in 2014.
New for this year is sponsorship opportunities: local businesses that donate will be displayed at the parking entrance.
This year's show starts at dusk July 3. Parking is available at the Utica Fire Department, with limited street parking available.
The fireworks shoot up behind town hall, and are lit by hand with a flare, rather than electronically.
"It's a little old fashioned, but we like it that way," Christianson said.
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Contact Daphne Lemke at dlemke@gannett.com. Follow her on Twitter at @daphlemke.