Mount Forest Fireworks Festival making a comeback after two years

MOUNT FOREST - Twice delayed by the pandemic, the Mount Forest Fireworks Festival will be making a triumphant return from July 15 to 19 to celebrate its belated 20th anniversary.

To mark the occasion, festival chair Sharon Wenger said organizers will kick off the festivities with a teaser fireworks show on Friday followed by a “huge display” on Saturday.

Wenger said the decision to resurrect the beloved festival after its 2020-21 absence was made about three weeks ago when signs were showing festivals could prepare for a return.

Wenger is admittedly excited to get things kicking once again, but there’s a bit of fog to navigate through before July’s arrival.

“We’re just trying to get our logistics back up and running, accommodate the changes that have happened in the community since we last ran a festival,” Wenger said. “Everybody seems to have hit the ground running.”

Business sponsorship dollars are heavily relied upon to bring the festival to life each year, but the past two years have been without the usual fundraising efforts.

“Many businesses in our community, especially the small businesses, they were feeling the effects of the COVID-19 and just trying to get their businesses through,” Wenger said.

Now, the timeline is accelerated and the drive is on, with sponsorship letters going out to local businesses within the past few weeks.

Ticket prices were being finalized during a Monday night meeting with a newly redesigned website scheduled to launch on March 8.

Wenger said one of her big concerns in getting the festival going is gathering enough volunteers after people have been away from one another.

To ensure all the festival’s needs are covered and the weekend festival runs smoothly, Wenger said 300 volunteer slots need to be filled.

“We are putting a call out there [for] anybody that wants to help volunteer, anybody who wants to help make the event a success,” she said.

To find out more visit: mountforestfireworks.ca.