LIMESTONE, Maine — Fourth of July festivities in Limestone have concluded until next year but as many volunteers will tell you, it’s never too early to start planning ahead; great Fourth of July events are the product of great volunteers.
For each exciting event that was enjoyed during this year’s festivities there was a volunteer committee who put forth their time and effort to make sure that the town was well-represented throughout the celebration.
“By continuing to run this week-long celebration, we’re attracting attention to Limestone,” said festival coordinator and Greater Limestone Chamber of Commerce Treasurer Grace O’Neil. “We’re providing opportunities for people to come to Limestone and see what we have to offer, to support the businesses here and to have fun with their families and friends.”
While this is certainly not the first or last time that Limestone will throw an impressive week-long celebration for the nation’s birthday in the midst of a recession, volunteers seem to be paradoxically harder to come by than funding.
Though there were fewer activities on the Limestone Fourth schedule this year, the culprit seems to be a lack of volunteers.
“We have the same people chipping in and helping out year after year; eventually it catches up with them and they get burnt out,” O’Neil said. “Every year we look for new organizations, businesses and volunteers to host an activity; some years we’re successful and other years we’re not.”
Fourth of July volunteers usually begin formally coordinating the celebration in early spring with brainstorming new ideas and establishing committees with their respective chairs; some volunteers are members of the Greater Limestone Chamber of Commerce while many others are simply members of various groups and organizations who are looking to positively impact their community. The Limestone Fourth of July Parade is among the longest running parades in the entire state and the history of volunteerism surpasses the length of the parade.
There are two types of events when it comes to the Limestone Fourth of July celebrations — chamber hosted events (like the Street Dance and Parade) and non-chamber hosted events (like the Limestone Rotary Club Golf Tournament, the Methodist Men’s Breakfast, and the sorority’s Strawberry Shortcake).
While many of the activities are a way for organizations to raise funds, each event has a considerable price tag to go with it. There were 17 non-chamber events and nine chamber events, which adds up to a busy week for the small community.
Non-chamber events are mostly self-funded, but the big crowd-drawing festivities — like the fireworks and the street dance — are made possible through donations from local businesses, individuals and organizations.
“A Street Dance wouldn’t be much fun without music, but bands are expensive,” said festival O’Neil. “The Chamber wants to continue holding this event because it brings people into town and gives people a chance to mingle and catch up with old friends, school mates and family members that are in town for the holiday. We’re providing an opportunity for the community to come together for an evening of fun.”
The best things in life may be free, but bands, fireworks and specialty parade participants are expensive; $5,000 alone for the fireworks. The chamber’s checkbook covered approximately $10,000 of expenses necessary to put on the celebration, most of which was donated by members of the community.
