Bingham Memorial to sponsor Bannock County fireworks
UPDATE 3/27/18 5:00 p.m.: Bingham Memorial and Bannock County signed a three-year contract agreement for the fireworks show.
“It’s a natural fit for us,” said Mark Baker, assistant administrator with BMH. “We have ten offices here in Pocatello/Chubbuck with the announcement of a future medical campus. We continue to grow here. We have 60 doctors who live here, work here, that are part of the community and we want to partner with the community in this way. It’s a great thing for us to be able to do this with the county.”
This means the “Biggest Show in Idaho” has been dissolved and Tovey said the event will soon be renamed. A few of the BSI committee members will be part of a transition team to help show BMH the ropes and take over the show.
Ken Bullock, another county commissioner, said they want to make sure everyone know this is still a community event. It’s for the community and the community is still a large part of it, meaning they still want community members to volunteer to help and take part in the celebration.
Baker said they plan to double the size of the show and make it the largest show that Bannock County has ever seen.
He added that the venue for it is one of the only place in the state where larger fireworks are allowed to be set off. So they are looking to use 12-inch base fireworks, which cover about 1/4 mile radius when shot off. He said they are looking to make it bigger and better than ever before.
“It’s great to finally have this done, it’s been several months of hard work to get BMH to come in and be willing to step up and put on a fireworks show that’s going to be bigger than what we’ve ever had,” Tovey said. “It’s awesome, and to know that it didn’t cost the taxpayers anything to be able to do that, it’s a great feeling.”
“As a non-profit, community hospital, we don’t have shareholders where we have to send profits out of state,” Baker said. “We reinvest back into our facilities, our doctors, our employees and into the communities. And this is a way that we can give back to the communities that we serve.”
Baker added that the Bannock County 4th of July will not conflict or affect the Bingham County celebration that BMH also sponsors in Blackfoot. He said the Blackfoot celebration will be the Saturday before and Bannock’s will be the night of, Wed., July 4th.
UPDATE 3/27: Bingham Memorial Hospital will underwrite the annual Independence Day Firework celebration at the Bannock County Events Center in Pocatello July 4.
“We’re very excited to be able to provide this type of event to our community,” said Jake Erickson, CEO at BMH. “Like everything we do at BMH, this will be spectacular. It will be larger than anything ever done in past shows with new pyrotechnics and a fully synchronized audio component that will stir your heart with pride of being an American.”
Bannock County Commissioners announced the decision Tuesday. Commissioners began looking for a corporate sponsor last fall, when it became apparent it would be difficult to raise necessary funds for the show.
“BMH has really stepped up in a big way,” said Bannock County Commissioner Terrel Tovey. “We were still facing a shortfall from last year’s firework show, and if not for BMH, I don’t know if a show would have happened at all.” Tovey said the situation would allow the county to focus its attention on the day’s activities.
ORIGINAL:
Bannock County’s 4th of July celebration, “The Biggest Show in Idaho,” will be seeing some changes this year. The BSID committee will no longer be in charge of the fireworks show.
County commissioners said due to some issues the last few years, they felt a new approach to the fireworks show was needed. It was too difficult for the committee to get funding for the fireworks.
“You would get pledges of support but then they would get downsized due to changes in the economy or other needs that were for marketing,” said Bannock County Commissioner Terrel Tovey. “And so it was really difficult when budgets were set to have those budgets constantly be moving and staying in budget. Where it was an all-volunteer group, it was a lot of work for them to do.”
The commissioners decided to look for a private sponsorship. After looking like it might not happen at all, a sponsor finally came forward.
The sponsor will pay for the entire cost of the fireworks show and this year, the size of the fireworks show will be doubled.
Tovey said having a sponsor means the burden is off the committee, and the fireworks show doesn’t have to rely on donations and fundraising.
Tovey also said another change this year is the timeline. Instead of multiple days for the 4th of July celebration, it will be down to just the day of. Tovey said they are working to put on a concert the night before on July 3.
Tovey said the celebration is important not only for Bannock County but to celebrate the meaning of the holiday.
“It’s good to have in our county one, like I said, for economic purposes but also for me as a military member, the 4th of July is probably my favorite holiday and so I really like to see that celebrated and what has been sacrificed for us remembered,” Tovey said. “And so for me to have that go off, I think that’s a very important lesson that we need to make sure is taught to the younger generation.”
Commissioners are meeting next Tuesday to finalize a contract with the new sponsor. That’s when commissioners hope to release the name of the sponsor.
Tovey added they hope to have the concert act set up within the next few weeks.
