'There is no way we can just do something else': Firework show cancellation hurts War Memorial Center, businesses

MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Businesses and a non-profit that benefited from the July 3 fireworks show are reacting to the event being canceled.

Last week, Milwaukee County Parks announced there would be no lakefront fireworks show this year because they were unable to secure a sponsor for the $370,000 event. Since canceling the show, many who bank on the business the day brings have been scrambling to adjust.

"Now, with the cancellation of July 3rd, we had to return and refund all of those ticket sales," War Memorial Center CEO & President Dan Buttery said.

Buttery tells CBS 58 that he learned about the lack of fireworks this year at the same time as everyone else and now he is left with a $50,000 hole to fill because he had to cancel the center's biggest fundraiser that happens annually on July third.

While he understands the challenges of not having a sponsor for the fireworks, it does not change his need to raise funds for the non-profit's operating expenses.

"We'll have to reconsider what we do if we do something later in the year to help us because $50,000 when you look at what we raise through fundraising, that's a quarter of our annual fundraising. It's significant. It's very significant. It hurts us operationally," he said.

"Our thing was we now have a very last-second reaction, and there is no way we can just do something else. People come here for the July third."

Just downstairs, a similar concern is brewing. The War Memorial Beer Garden is a hot spot for visitors looking to grab a bite and a beer. Troy Blackburn manages the beer garden for Kegel's Inn and tells CBS 58 that the July third business is crucial for the small operation.

"That's a huge day, right? There's so much traffic down here. You get a lot of people who maybe don't come downtown that often, but they come for that day," Blackburn said.

Not only will the beer garden lose customers and exposure, but they will also have less revenue to give to the War Memorial Center as they donate 50% of their net proceeds.

"That's a huge day for us to be able to really do some good things for the War Memorial. For ourselves and the War Memorial as well," Blackburn explained.

The future of the lakefront fireworks show is unknown. Last week, Milwaukee County Parks Executive Director Guy Smith told CBS 58 that they believe that the fireworks have run their course and that even if a corporate sponsor tried to step in to save this year's fireworks, it would be too late because of the logistical challenges of securing fireworks a month before the holiday.