Fire up the cannons. It’s almost time for the N.C. Fourth of July Festival, held in the Brunswick County city of Southport and beginning with activities in June.

“We’ve been celebrating July 4 since 1795, the first recorded celebration of the Fourth here,” said Hugh Fosbury, this year’s president and festival chairman. “We’ve got pretty specific details of what that celebration entailed, so we’re going to try to kind of re-enact that.”

The lawn at Fort Johnston is the scene of the re-enactment taking place June 26, just one of the festival’s events celebrating freedom and America’s 250th anniversary specifically this year. In addition to traditional parade-and-pageant fare, what’s ahead includes crafts, a fun run and “the world’s largest ice cream sundae.”

“Years ago, believe it or not, they literally had a trough (for the sundae),” Fosbury said. “They’d run it down one of the streets, and they’d fill it up with ice cream. People would go to town and start eating out of the trough, which is kind of amazing that they did that.”

These days, events are more hygienic but nonetheless rich. The sumptuous offerings come with a price tag, though. Fosbury said that the N.C. Fourth of July Festival is an annual fundraising miracle that can’t be taken for granted, because there’s no financial guarantee that it will continue from year to year.

The festival has 13 board members and 90 volunteers who continually fundraise to meet the annual expectations of an estimated 50,000 revelers.

Will the nonprofit make this year’s $300,000 goal beyond in-kind donations?

Fosbury is hoping the group’s recent shift from a 501(c)(4) designation to a 501(c)(3) designation, which allows individuals to write off their donations, will help bridge any gaps.

The N.C. Azalea Festival in Wilmington is a comparable annual event, Fosbury noted. But it has a paid staff that manages the organization’s affairs and runs the festivities.

“We don’t have that. We’re unique in that regard,” he said. “One of the reasons why we did secure the 501(c)(3) is that we are looking for – I don’t want to call it a ‘foundation’ just yet, but something like that – is some kind of a sustainability model that will allow us some sustainability confidence, so that the festival is not at risk of being canceled every year, which currently right now it is.”

With no carry-over of funds, “we start from scratch every year, which is crazy,” he said.

Fortunately, the kindness of neighbors has not run out, and aid has always seemed to come at crucial times. The county approved a $25,000 grant for the first time this year, Fosbury said.
Increasing the number of more modest donations has been a successful strategy, too, he said. Local residents, for example, received postcards suggesting a $250 donation in honor of America’s 250th anniversary.

“Many people had asked, ‘How do we help? How do we contribute?’” he said.

The fundraising takes the small-dollar approach, which adds up. For example: Think your dog has what it takes to be Southport parade dog marshal? If so, it’s time to ask your friends and neighbors to chip in.

“You vote for $1 a vote, and we may put your dog up, actually, on a float,” he said. “This is the first time we’ve done it this year. We’re a big dog community, and we’ve already exceeded $7,000.”

Wayne Berry, who was among the group that made the N.C. Fourth of July Festival a nonprofit organization in 1972, will serve as the human honorary parade marshal this year.

The festival will end with a bang as always – this time with a 50% bigger fireworks display. But will this be the year the festival ends for good?

“Obviously, none of us wants that to happen,” Fosbury said. “So coming up with a model that is more sustainable is definitely where I’m going to focus my personal efforts after this particular festival is over.”