With a historic Fourth of July celebration approaching that marks America’s 250th anniversary, the Sault Ste. Marie Convention & Visitors Bureau is proudly donating $10,000 to support the City of Sault Ste. Marie’s firework display that will take place over the St. Marys River this summer.

The CVB presented city officials with the donation Wednesday afternoon at City Hall. The funds will bolster the city’s firework fund and ensure residents and visitors alike enjoy the best possible firework display.

“Unfortunately, the cost of fireworks has gone up,” said Sault Ste. Marie Mayor Don Gerrie. “With this $10,000 gift, we can deliver an enhanced firework celebration for the 250th anniversary of our country.”

As the area’s destination marketing organization, the Sault CVB works to attract travelers from across the Midwest and the country to visit Sault Ste. Marie. A key part of driving tourism includes investing directly in the community. When Sault CVB Executive Director Linda Hoath learned the City faced challenges funding the fireworks, she identified an opportunity for the Sault CVB to assist.

“This is an example of the partnership we share in Sault Ste. Marie with the CVB. We’ve worked with the city for years on a variety of projects,” Hoath said. “We have many more partnerships and collaborations coming up with other community partners.”

The Fourth of July remains a keystone community event, equally important to residents and visitors, especially this year during the 250th anniversary.

“It was a pleasure to be involved in this process. We are all part of this community and want to support it. This is a good day,” added Sault CVB Chair Allen Kerridge.

This donation represents just one example of the ongoing partnership between the Sault CVB and the City of Sault Ste. Marie. That partnership has also included extensive work on I-500 track renovations over the years, along with promotional efforts supporting several of the City’s largest completed projects, including the Carbide Dock Project. Hoath added that additional community partnerships are forthcoming, including collaborations with Lake Superior State University.