Superior's July 4 parade needs help

When troops from Duluth-based Guard and reserve units returned home after the Gulf War, their celebration at the first Fourth of July parade in Superior was a dreary affair.

Under gray skies, the troops rolled and walked along Tower Avenue in silence -- without a single marching band in sight.

Now in its 10th year, the Citizens Fourth of July Parade and other festivities could again be in jeopardy.

With about a dozen volunteers to handle all the planning, fundraising and staging events, organizers say they need help, or they may not be able to continue the tradition beyond 2007.

The group is looking for a corporate sponsor or two to assist with expenses so organizers can spend their time planning instead of raising a few dollars at a time to cover the costs.

"Expenses, they're astronomical," said Bill Andrews, one of the founding members of the Citizens Fourth of July Committee. "The insurance alone is $700 just to cover the parade ... For the most part, it's $5,000 to put that parade on."

Last year, it cost about $1,700 just for the trophies, said Dave Stannard, another founding member.

Fundraising has always been a challenge for the small group of core members. "We're always looking for volunteers," Stannard said.

"It's a laborious thing," Andrews added. "We have a lot of fun. There's no question about it, but it does get mundane, and there's a lot of work to it."

In past years, the group has organized raffles, solicited donations and sold items such as sparklers to keep pace with expenses. Soliciting contributions from businesses hasn't been easy.

"You approach somebody in the winter and they say 'Fourth of July'?" Andrews said. "Right now, we have no plan intact for a fundraiser."

Andrews said the most money they ever raised through a raffle was about $1,100, far short of what is needed to pay for the parade and other activities.

"It's tough to raise money to begin with," he said. "It's a small group ... and our group is aging. And we spend way too much time fundraising to cover the expenses of the parade for the Fourth of July festivities."

"If we can't come up with a good fundraiser and come up with some decent money, or get one or two corporate sponsors" Stannard said he couldn't be sure the parade would last beyond this year. "We're not asking for a lot. If we could get $2,000 or $3,000 from each one, it would boost us," he said.