Fireworks at the Marshall County Blueberry Festival were again up for discussion during Wednesday’s special session of the Plymouth Common Council. Last month, the Common Council voted to give the festival an additional $25,000 for this year’s fireworks, after festival organizers asked the city to fund the upgrades in recognition of the Blueberry Festival’s 50th anniversary. On Wednesday, council members formally decided to take that $25,000 out of the city’s General Fund.
Several council members weighed in on the appropriation during a public hearing. Jeff Houin defended his original vote in favor of the funding, citing the need to maintain and improve the relationship between festival organizers and the city. However, Shawn Grobe said that doesn’t mean more city funding should be given. “I think the city’s been a good partner with the Blueberry Festival,” he said. “I don’t think this funding is required to continue that relationship. It largely was a known expense at the time we appropriated the budget last year; we could have budgeted then. I just look at sidewalks, streets, and I just feel that it’s going to open the door to many other requests for funding from the city that we’re going to be hard-pressed to say no because we gave money for fireworks. So that was the reason I voted no. I maintain that position.”
The discussion came on the same night that the Plymouth Common Council decided to appropriate an additional $329,000 for tennis court improvements. Council member Gary Cook said that with all the projects the city’s working on, there are better uses for the money than fireworks, “At the end of the night, that $25,000 is going to go up in smoke. I would just as soon see that put towards a project like the tennis courts or something like that. The relationship is a two-way street with the city and the Blueberry Festival. Both benefit each other, but I thought it was inappropriate of the Blueberry Festival trying to use leverage, saying ‘We’re going to move to Argos,’ in order to try to get some benefits their way.”
However, Mike Delp reminded the other council members that this year’s event is a special celebration, “I voted in favor of it. I’m still in favor of it. I understand it’s going up in smoke, but let’s realize that it’s 50 years of Blueberry Festival so it’s $500 a year in my mind, a one-time contribution for the Blueberry Festival. They feel it was necessary; I’m still in favor of that.” Meanwhile, Duane Culp asked the rest of the council to consider the amount of money made by the city’s businesses during the festival.
Following the hearing, the council voted to appropriate the additional $25,000 for the Blueberry Festival fireworks, with Cook and Grobe opposing the measure.
