Petitioning Teen 'Thrilled' Bloomingdale Fireworks Are Restored
Mayor said fireworks are important in maintaining community pride in borough.
One year ago this month,14-year-old Brandon Bott, of Bloomingdale, set out on a mission to collect enough signatures from his friends and neighbors to present to the borough council members and change their minds about canceling the Bloomingdale Fourth of July fireworks.
His effort may not have restored the typically annual event last year, but the fireworks are back this year and Bott, who graduated from eighth grade Tuesday night, cannot help but think he had something to do with it.
"Everything I did was a lot and it's good to know that it's worth something," Bott said Wednesday.
The fireworks will be held on June 29 at 6 p.m. at the Walter T. Bergen School field, with a rain date of June 30. There will be rides, games and food in addition to the fireworks display at dark.
Last year, the council majority voted to cancel the fireworks in an effort to save the borough money. But several Bloomingdale residents, including Bott and a group of local teenagers, approached the council members, urging them to re-consider.
During election season, Democrats Ray Yazdi and John D'Amato campaigned with a promise to bring back events that were canceled, like the fireworks, if elected. Yazdi said Wednesday he is happy to have helped fulfill that promise since he has been elected.
"I’m very happy that we were able to get enough ‘yes’ votes to reinstate the fireworks this year and I'd like to thank all the residents who wanted this event back and voiced their opinion," Yazdi said, mentioning Bott and 17-year-old Melanie Ferrara, who read a statement to the council about how important town events are to the borough's youth.
"Collectively, we made this happen together and we should all take pride in bringing this event back to our town," Yazdi added.
Yazdi said the fireworks event will cost $5,000, which breaks down to about $2 per home per year.
Mayor Jonathan Dunleavy said that despite the cost, he feels that the fireworks display is an important event for the community.
"I completely understand the financial burdens on our community, but the fireworks are an important aspect of keeping community pride in our borough," he said. "The sense of community derived from such events are important to our town and our children, families and all residents."
Dunleavy said the event brings neighbors together with each other and their relatives.
"Especially in tough times like these, our residents can hopefully find time to relax, slow down and enjoy an evening with their families, neighbors and friends," he said.
Bott's sentiments echoed the mayor's and he said he is looking forward to being able to spend time with his friends at the event.
"I think it's a good way to get the community together," he said.
Bott's mother, Barbara Bott, said her son has been excited since he first saw the sign announcing the fireworks on Bloomingdale's Main Street.
"He's thrilled," she said. "I told him, 'Don't ever think that work like [the petition] doesn't go anywhere.'"
In This article
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Bloomingdale Borough Hall
101 Hamburg Tpke, Bloomingdale, NJ -
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Walter T. Bergen School
225 Glenwild Ave, Bloomingdale, NJ -
peanut622
7:28 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
wish the kids of kinnelon would be motivated to take part in something like this every year no fireworks, it's a shame!!!! thanks kinnelon guess we can go watch bloomingdales!!!!
Richard Dean
8:21 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Bloomingdale always had a first class fireworks display both at Watler T Bergen and at DeLazier Field. I hope that they do have the preliminary events and activities starting way before dark. It is always a great time. So thank you to Bloomingdale from a Butler family.
Carolyn
8:43 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Thank you to Mayor Dunleavy and the Council members who voted to restore this event. Town spirit derives from getting together to share activities like this. We have very few events that pull us all together. The Council member who voted "no", saying "this is not a time to celebrate" perhaps did not realize just how important it is in hard times for us to hold together and have some relief from the negativity. And bravo to Brandon for his hard work!!!
Sally Fane
9:40 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
I'm so happy we have our fireworks back! It's the best night of the year to me. The town always puts on such a great display and it's so nice to spend time with everyone in such a stress free, no pressure environment where everyone is having a good time. I applaud the council members that voted in favor of reinstating this event. THANK YOU!
Gary
9:43 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Of course Bloomingdale citicizens should pay for this fireworks display, just like we pay for the maintenance of fields and light the fields so that the citizens of Butler and Kinnelon can enjoy them for free, Good job Dunleavy!! NOT!! why should ONLY Bloomingdale citizens bear the costs? There should be a fee for nonresidents.
Debbie O'Neill
12:32 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Gary - although I'm a little uncomfortable with the tone of your post (sarcasm is the lowest form of wit), I don't disagree with your overall point. It seems like a logical solution to have non-residents pay a small fee to help offset the cost. It's not really different (in a sense) than how Bloomingdale residents pay a higher fee to join Stoneybrook...
wendy
10:26 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Thank you very much this is a huge step for the people -vs- the budget that will always be around, and not choosing the people .
Meredith Mascitello
11:18 am on Thursday, June 21, 2012
It’s important to have the fireworks as a reminder and a celebration of our Declaration of Independence and the official beginning of our fight for Liberty. We must always remember that freedom is a fragile thing as evidenced in what is happening currently with the Federal government’s lack of respect for the 1st Amendment. Our Constitution’s framework to secure individual freedom and the right of conscience is precious and unique in this world. May we never take it for granted.
Gary
12:55 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Debbie I am glad you agree with my point. However, the reason for the sarcasm is that the mayor does not agree. He believes that we should pay for it all and let others enjoy. I do not. The same is for the fields that Butler's and Kinnelon's children get to enjoy free of charge. Bloomingdale's citizens pay for the upkeep and the equipment (scoreboard, bleachers, turf on the fields, maintaining the fields) and the other towns enjoy it free of charge.
Debbie O'Neill
1:41 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Gary - no to beat a dead horse, but I'm a little unclear about what the issue is with kids from Butler and Kinnelon using our fields? If they are doing so, it is because they are registered in one of our programs (i.e. soccer, little league, etc.) and are therefore paying a registration fee. Bloomingdale residents use Butler fields frequently (soccer, football, etc.) I don't really think Kinnelon is using our fields very much - it is more between Butler and Bloomingdale and appears to be pretty evenly distributed between the two.
Certainly not everyone is going to agree with each other, the Mayor, etc., but I don't think this needs to degenerate into a bitter discussion about who uses what, who pays for what, etc. Before the new Butler track was opened, my husband and I used to go to the Kinnelon track all the - no one asked me to leave because I wasn't a resident...
And just as an aside, the Mayor is a huge proponent of bringing sustainable revenue into Bloomingdale, so let's not make this about him looking to lay every burden at the residents' door because nothing could be further from the truth.
Gary
2:44 pm on Thursday, June 21, 2012
Yes, Debbie I agree that I do not want this to degenerate into a bitter discussion. I believe we can agree to disagree. I do not agree with what you have said about the Mayor and I do not agree about Bloomingdale's fields and Butler and Kinnelon. Have a good day!
Richard Dean
3:39 pm on Saturday, June 23, 2012
As a Butler resident I do wish that we could have fireworks again. For years non profit organizations used the school fields to host fireworks as fundraisers that were not subsidized by the borough. The exception was in 1976 for the US Bi-Centennial when the Borough of Butler paid for them and they were free to anyone. The last time they were conducted about 20 years ago the show was sponsored by the Butler Police Association (the organization of our cops), but there was some damage to a car parked in the driveway of a neighboring home thus no more public displays. Another exception was made for the 100th graduation of BHS in 2006, conducted by a licensed fireworks company but basically they were glorified Roman candles. Another thing as I recall, for a few hours prior to Bloomingdale's really nice display there were amusements and food sold in a mini carnival or fair that I believe benefitted town functiions such as the parks and playgrounds. If there were a collection for donations, which there may have been in the past, I would think many people would throw in money, I know we would.
Mr. Tom Fox
11:23 am on Wednesday, July 4, 2012
I agree that the Fire Department should have "donation buckets" available at all of the approaches to the fields behind the school. I for years went to the Pequannock fireworks and each time I put money into their donation pails as a thank-you for the priviledge to enjoy the fireworks mostly paid for by the citizens of Pequannock although I had long moved awa to the Boro of Bloomingdale. I loved seeing all the enthusiasm and kids playing and folks meeting before the grand event as it did indeed bring us all together for a nice evening. Thanks mayor, council and teens for pulling it together...