North Reading's Fourth of July Festivities Cancelled for 2015

North Reading won’t celebrate the Fourth of July with a fireworks extravaganza at Ipswich River Park this year.

Nancy Wolfe, who is the new chairman of the Fourth of July Committee, said she doesn’t have the manpower or funds to make a celebration happen this year.

Wolfe said she is the only committee member at the moment and needs volunteers to help her raise $20,000 for a 2016 celebration. The Town of North Reading does not provide any funding for the event.

Wolfe said she hopes to host fundraisers over the summer and bring volunteers on board to help. She added that she would like other local groups to help raise money for the event.

She told the Board of Selectmen on Monday that she’s attempting to make the committee into a 501C nonprofit organization so it can benefit more dollars from corporate sponsorships.

The North Reading Fourth of July Celebration came back three years ago thanks to a small group of volunteers. They raised money and spent hours volunteering their time at the event, which included a three-day carnival one year.

Though one year’s fireworks was cancelled because of a major thunderstorm that blew through the area just before the fireworks were set to go off, the other two years saw huge displays that brought thousands from around the area to Ipswich River Park.