Fireworks funded — City of Newcastle will cover majority of cost for the 2025 display

Newcastle skies will explode in colors for the Fourth of July, thanks to an $8,000 investment from the city of Newcastle. 

On May 19, the council unanimously voted to use $4,000 in surplus funds from the budgets of both the Newcastle Police Department and Newcastle Volunteer Fire Department to fund a fireworks show for July 5. Ginny Wisnewski, the vice president of the Newcastle Area Chamber of Commerce, asked the council for help. 

“So out of 55 businesses that we have asked for donations, we have five businesses so far and we have almost $2,000,” she said. 

Wisnewski noted that a 20-minute fireworks show costs about $10,000. 

“We don’t want to not have them is our biggest thing,” Wisnewski said, noting that it is also the weekend of the Newcastle High School All-School Reunion. 

Mayor Tyrel Owens told the council that he had previously discussed the issue with Wisnewski and at the same time learned that there would be surplus funds in both budgets. 

With this knowledge, Owens said he asked both Fire Chief James Curren and Police Chief Derek Thompson to see if they would favor allocating some of that extra money to fireworks. 

According to Owens, both men agreed. 

Wisnewski said she is unsure of the exact history regarding the fund-raising for fireworks, but said she knows that “we don’t want to keep continuing having to ask our businesses when they give so much already.” 

“They help us tremendously within the chamber, you know, with the banquet and things like that. And then they also pay to be a part of the chamber. And, you know, our goal has been to show our local businesses that we are all about them and bringing business to Newcastle, keeping business in Newcastle,” she said. “So, sometimes, and just like you said, Mayor Owens, it’s like we’re kind of stuck between a rock and a hard place. Do we ask the public? Do we ask the business owners?”

But then, Wisnewski said, no matter who they ask for money for the fireworks show, someone seems to be upset. 

Wisnewski added that it has been at least 37 years that the city has had fireworks and that “it’s a pretty long time, so we would like to continue that.” 

Owens told the council that several communities in the Black Hills have fireworks shows funded by their town or city. 

“So, there’s different ways that different communities handle it, but I would rather people be upset and have a nice firework display,” Owens said.