LIVERMORE FALLS — There will be no Fourth of July parade this year unless volunteers step forward to organize it.
The Tri-Town July 4th Parade Committee, which holds the parade on July 3, voted Thursday night to disband, member Barbara Cook of Jay said Friday.
Committee members Cook, Pat Knowlton of Livermore Falls and Lynn Dunton of Livermore met at a Jay restaurant Thursday to discuss arrangements for the parade.
“We talked at length about it and came to a decision that with the lack of participation from the towns and community involvement and not having enough funds to run the program that the committee voted to disband,” Cook said.
The remaining funds the committee has left over will go to the next committee that wants to take over the parade. If there is no interest within the next week, the money will be donated to the Memorial Day Parade Committee, Cook said.
In the past five years, the number of committee members continued to decrease each year with some of them passing away, she said.
“Now there are a handful of us that have been doing the parade, and it’s time for fresh approach by new people,” Cook said.
She is asking that money donated for this year’s parade that has not yet been received to not be sent to the committee.
Jay voters approved $150 for the parade, half of what they approved last year due to the declining valuation of the Verso Corp. paper mill in town.
Livermore Falls and Livermore voters will be asked to raise $300 each at their annual town meetings in June.
Among the expenses to put on the parade are $400 for insurance and $350 for the Shriner’s Crazy Cars, Cook said.
Despite pleas for participating in organizing the parade, it has not happened.
“We can’t get people to do anything at all,” she said. “A lot of time and energy is put into this. It’s not magic.”
The committee is willing to help those interested in planning the parade by sharing its past plans. Anyone interested can call Cook at 207-654-4753, Knowlton at 207-897-3834 and Dunton at 207-897-2640.
dperry@sunmediagroup.net
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