Kaboom! Fireworks Pays its Bills, Anticipates Charging Fee for Fireworks Show

A recent agreement by the Kaboom! Fireworks Committee to pay Red Bank nearly $32,000 in outstanding bills for services rendered during last July’s annual fireworks display has cleared the way for the show to continue.

Borough Mayor Pasquale Menna announced that the agreement was reached earlier this week between the committee and Red bank, a necessary step needed for Kaboom to continue planning for its annual fireworks show over the Navesink River on July 3.

As a condition of the payment, Kaboom expects Red Bank to allow the committee to charge for access to several prime viewing locations, including the library, Marine Park, and Riverview Gardens, to help fund the show, Kaboom Executive Director Charles Moran said Friday.

The idea of charging an admission fee was brought up following a financial report conducted by a task force created to look at the show’s financials that listed it as a way for Kaboom to generate revenue.

“We’ve got a new committee and we’ve got some exciting new prospects and sponsorships lined up for this year’s show,” Moran said.

The idea of charging for the fireworks – the event has always been free – was discussed at a council meeting in January, though the council did not vote on any admission fee measure.

Though the borough’s administration has an idea of how much the fee should be, it has yet to inform the public.

Kaboom raises the money needed to put on the fireworks show through sponsorships from area businesses – a number that has grown exponentially over the years to the tune of about $250,000 currently. The fireworks show is one of the best in the country, and as a result it attracts enormous crowds. As a result, Red Bank is often required to assist.

One of the borough’s largest expenses last year was its police. Red Bank spent approximately $39,000 on establishing a police presence alone. But, that total may not have been enough. Red Bank Police Department Chief Stephen McCarthy, a member of the fireworks task force, has called for a larger presence to help handle the more than 100,000 people who descend on Red Bank, which of course will require additional funding.

Moran said the new fee would go a long way towards buffering the Kaboom committee’s costs.

“That’s a big part of our revenue source,” he said.