Kingston fireworks display ‘a go’ after S’Klallam Tribe pledges $12,000

KINGSTON — Fireworks will fly in Kingston this year, after a $12,000 contribution last week from the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe rocketed the Fourth of July Celebration committee past its fundraising goal.

Lackluster fundraising nearly muffled the yearly display over Apple Tree Cove this year.

As of June 16, Kingston Fourth of July Celebration organizers said they were $9,000 short of meeting the $17,000 cost of the fireworks display.

At a Friday benefit in Kingston, the Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe, and tribal businesses the Point Casino and Gliding Eagle Market Place, announced each would contribute $4,000 to the celebration.

Tribe spokeswoman Ginger Vaughan confirmed the pledges on Tuesday.

Fourth of July Celebration organizer Pete DeBoer said a fireworks show may not have been possible without the tribe’s donation. Apart from the tribe’s pledge, the Friday cocktail party raised $6,000. A benefit concert the following day raised another $480.

“It was going to be really, really tight,” DeBoer said.

The Fourth of July celebration will also include a parade and Tiny Town children’s festival. DeBoer said live music will be played on July 4 only this year and the planning committee is still deciding how many bands it can afford to host.

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