To all who attended our 17th July 4 fireworks show, the Kiwanis Club of Mariposa extends a hearty thank you. We believe this show was the best yet, and hope that everyone enjoyed it as much as we enjoyed bringing it to you. The reputation of this show has spread far beyond the confines of our county and has even begun to garner international notice for Mariposa, evidenced by the large number of foreign visitors in attendance. We are confident, that at the conclusion of the show, everyone left with a very favorable impression of our town and our nation.

The Kiwanis Club of Mariposa is the smallest of all the service clubs active in our County, yet to our knowledge, we stage the largest single-day event in the county, with attendance exceeding 2,500. In addition to the fireworks paid attendance, there were many hundreds of people watching the show from the roads and fields surrounding the fairgrounds. One enterprising individual actually brought a forklift and used it to get high enough for him and several friends to see the fireworks.

Despite the $6 admission fee for those 11 and older, and our County-wide fund raising efforts, this event is not, and has never been, a fund raiser for the Mariposa Kiwanis Club. We stage this event through extremely limited donations from private enterprise, and the sale of fireworks tickets, advertisements in the program, and food from the Kiwanis booth. There are no public monies used to stage this event, despite the positive international reputation the July 4 show brings to our County. This year, we will have a shortfall of over $3,000, once all the income is tallied and bills are paid. Along with our annual free hayride, these events are a gift to the entire County from about 10 dedicated, caring, and hardworking individuals.

It's time for you to get involved. For information on meeting times and locations, please call Eleanor Keuning, president of the Kiwanis Club of Mariposa at 742 5257, or you can email us at themariposakiwanis@yahoo.com.

Dave Mandeville Mariposa Kiwanis