CLINTON

The Clinton Chamber of Commerce will ask the town for extra money due to higher support costs than normal to ensure the 2023 SummerFest goes off without a hitch.

At a Town Council meeting on June 21, Town Manager Karl Kilduff reported that the chamber plans to request additional funding for its annual end-of-summer and firework celebration.

Paul Orsini, executive director of the chamber, stressed that the celebration planned for Aug. 26 is not in any danger of being canceled.

“It’s absolutely going to happen, and it’s still going on as planned. There’ll be a beer garden and dunk tank and food trucks behind town hall and games and fireworks at the beach,” he said.

Rather, Orsini said that the cost of the town services needed to support the event has risen, so the chamber is asking the town for a higher donation than usual. Orsini declined to name the exact amount the chamber is asking the town for at this time.

He said it usually costs $45,000 to $50,000 to pull off the fireworks every year, and the town usually contributes about $5,000.

“It’s a small number we ask for from the town. Due to town services being a little more, we’re asking for a little more,” Orsini said.

Kilduff said he, too, does not yet have a firm number for what the chamber is going to ask for in aid. Rather, he explained he was just alerting the council that a request will be made.

However, Kilduff also explained that any aid the town gives to the SummerFest, the town essentially makes back.

“The town provides services to the SummerFest in the form of police coverage and public works staff. Those costs are billed to the chamber. The funds provided from the town come back to pay some of the bill for overtime support for the event,” Kilduff said.

The SummerFest debuted in 2015 and has since become an important date on the town calendar, usually drawing around 1,500 to 2,000 people downtown. When the event was canceled in 2017 due to logistics issues and again in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic virus, more than a few people were upset at the news.

“We’re still going as planned this year at both locations, and it’s’ going to be a great time,” Orsini said.

He also said that a fundraising event is planned for Scottish Dave’s at the end of July.