Restaurants Plan Fundraisers to Support Fireworks Show

Two local restaurants have joined the effort to raise funds for Lawrence Township’s annual Independence Day celebration.

Enzo’s La Piccola Cucina will host fundraisers on Tuesday, March 5, and Tuesday, March 12.

“Being a lifetime resident and 30-year business owner in Lawrence Township, we at Enzo’s La Piccola Cucina in South Lawrence would like to help Lawrence Township continue the tradition of July 4th fireworks,” Enzo’s owner Anna Scozzari wrote in a recent letter to Lawrence Township Recreation Department Superintendent Steve Groeger.

The eatery, located at 1906 Princeton Ave., will donate $2 to the fireworks fund for every large pizza or large Caesar salad that is purchased between 11 a.m. and 8 p.m. on those days, either in the dining room or for takeout.

Advance ordering is recommended, and reservations for inside dining will be required. No certificates or other offers may be combined with these events. Orders may be placed by calling (609) 396-9868.

And Cheeburger Cheeburger, located in Mercer Mall in the 3300 block of Route 1 (Brunswick Pike), will donate to the fireworks fund 20 percent of each sale – either eat in or take out – that is made between 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m. on Thursday, May 9, provided the customer presents a special flyer at the time of purchase.

A copy of that flyer can be found in the Patch media box above.

This year, the township’s traditional concert and fireworks display will be held on the Rider University campus on Friday, July 5, with the following day set aside as the rain date, according to Groeger.  

There’s about $11,000 in the fund so far thanks, in part, to the sale of glow sticks and donations collected during last year’s fireworks show; the entry fees paid by participants in the annual Red, White and Bang Kids Triathlon on Labor Day; and the donations by Mayor Jim Kownacki of the $100 fee normally paid to him as mayor for each wedding ceremony he performs.

Groeger is hoping to raise about $30,000 for this year’s event.

If that amount is collected, he said, the township will be able to put on a larger fireworks display, with more shells, than in years past and still have money left over to kick-start the fundraising effort for July 4th 2014.

In additional to buying the shells, the donations collected by the recreation department pay for the concert that precedes the fireworks, as well as the township fire official who supervises the lighting of the pyrotechnics and the police officers who provide crowd and traffic control.

Independence Day fireworks have been a Lawrence Township tradition for the past 30 years or so. In 2010, the fireworks show was cancelled when funding was cut to help balance the municipal budget. Realizing that municipal funding was not going to be available for the fireworks again in 2011 either, the recreation department started a fundraising campaign.

Thanks to those efforts, the township’s Independence Day celebrations in 2011 and 2012 were funded entirely by donations.

Donations for the fireworks can be delivered in person to the recreation department in the municipal building or mailed to the recreation department at 2207 Lawrence Rd., Lawrence Township, N.J. 08648.

Checks should be made payable to Lawrence Township, with “Fireworks” noted in the check memo field.

Anyone with questions or suggestions is urged to call the recreation department at (609) 844-7067.