Summit firefighters reschedule boot drive that funds Tarentum fireworks

Summit Hose has rescheduled Saturday’s “boot drive” fundraiser that helps pay for Tarentum’s Fourth of July fireworks display.

The boot drive now will take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 4 at the Tarentum end of the Tarentum Bridge.

Chief Joshua Fox said the drive was rescheduled because volunteer firefighters were not available this weekend due to the Easter holiday.

The department does a few boot drive collections each year. The May 4 drive will be this year’s first.

The boot drive and an annual fall festival are the department’s two biggest fundraisers, Fox said. A gun bash is planned for August.

“That money helps keep our doors open and helps to provide money for the community fireworks,” he said. “We solely sponsor them. We pay for them. We rely on donations from the community and the borough to provide fireworks for the A-K Valley.”

The fireworks display is held at Dreshar Stadium the night of July 3.

“It’s a struggle every year,” Fox said. “We don’t get as many donations as people think.”

The fireworks display costs $10,000. Paying that off is always the goal of the boot drive, Fox said. Any other money goes toward things such as equipment, protective gear and paying utility bills.

“Every amount that we get (in donations) we’re grateful for,” Fox said.

The fireworks draw a big crowd from Tarentum and beyond.

“If everybody would donate just a dollar, we could put on a way bigger display than we do,” he said. “People say it’s nice, but it’s short. That’s because we don’t get the donations.

“If everyone that was there would come in and give even just a dollar, that would help tremendously.”