These days, even raising money costs more for local Fourth of July parade committees.
The Catonsville Celebration Committee, organizers of the town?s Fourth of July parade and fireworks, saw the cost of putting on its annual dance fundraiser jump 16.3 percent this year.
The dance contributed about $25,000 to the committee?s $102,000 budget. That budget amount is up more than a third from last year?s $75,000 festivities budget.
“We raise all the money ourselves,” committee spokeswoman Maureen Sweeney Smith said. “We have no county or government funding.”
Parades and fireworks displays around the area are struggling to make ends meet with gas prices skyrocketing and the economy slowing.
In Catonsville, fireworks and related expenses hit an all-time high of $30,000 this year, up 3.6 percent. Parade expenses increased 7 percent, and insurance jumped 9.4 percent. Smith said just one of the parade?s 13 bands costs $2,000.
The Bel Air Independence Day Committee also raised its entire $50,000 budget this year, but didn?t see costs increase dramatically. The biggest jump came from fireworks ? the committee had held a contract for the last few years with a fireworks company, but this year it went back to a regular payment plan and costs rose 10 percent, according to president Don Stewart.
While bands can be pricey for an individual parade, most groups from out of the area make the most of the weekend with multiple stops.
“These bands aren?t cheap, [and when] they come into the area, they don?t just do Harford County, they do the state of Maryland,” Stewart said. “They do three or four parades and several more on Saturday.”
Unlike Catonsville and Bel Air, the Annapolis parade is operated by the city and has no standing budget. Instead, the parade requests entries from local groups and does not seek out paid bands.
LeeAnn Plumer, the parade?s organizer, said this year?s parade includes 42 entries, fewer than usual.
“We had a few folks drop out,” Plummer said. “I don?t know that it?s directly related to fuel costs, but we?ve definitely had a little bit less participation.”
This year?s costs are bad, but next year might be worse, parade organizers fear. Smith said some of the costs of the parade and fireworks were locked in with contracts earlier this year, before gas prices shot up.
“So we?re expecting to really get hit next year,” she said.
