Thanks to all those who helped fund Bay Days fireworks

We all enjoyed a wonderful fireworks display at Bay Days this year, and that is because of the contributions of hundreds of people who believe in our city and its traditions.

The Bay Days fireworks are privately funded now, so a group of concerned residents banded together earlier this year to try and raise the funds needed for the show.

A Bay Days without fireworks would be a dud, and many Bay Village civic and other organizations rely on the funds generated at the event for scholarships and other expenses.

The group came up with a few fundraising ideas, and set out to raise the funds. And, boy, did the community respond. Through the generosity of very many people, we enjoyed a wonderful fireworks display this year and have a little bit of a nest egg set aside to build upon for next year.

I want to thank all the members of the fireworks fundraising committee for their hard work. They are Councilmen Dwight Clark, Dave Tadych and Tom Henderson, Tara Wendell from the Westlake | Bay Village Observer, George MacDonald, Jennie Mace, Camille Sheehan, Tony Dostal, Dominic Giovannazzo, Lisa Wilson and Mindy Stroh.

I also want to thank Bay Villager Kurt Frye of the Sunnyside Automotive Group for the corporate scholarship, Robert Massey of the Freedom Boat Club, Bay Villager Jerry Crabb of the Cleveland Indians, the members of the Bay Kiwanis, Bay Villager John Grigoli of Epic Signs Cleveland and Denny Wendell of Wendell Design Communications.

Thanks, too, to Eileen Vernon and Barb Waddle of the Village Foundation for their guidance and support.

A complete list of donors can be found at bayfireworks.org.

It was an honor and pleasure working with this fine group of volunteers, and we all look forward to a bigger and better Bay Days fireworks display next year, thanks to all of you who donate money, buy raffle tickets and support our efforts.