Looking back a summer of weekly fireworks in St. Ignace, the Festivals and Fireworks Committee has sent out 3,200 letters addressed to 2,900 LaSalle High School alumni and all area Visitors Bureau and Chamber of Commerce members requesting monetary contributions to continue the fireworks in the summer of 2010.

Many downtown businesses have not only enjoyed the sights and sounds of the 10 fireworks displays stretching from the July 4 weekend to Labor Day, they have noticed increased business on Saturday nights.

Both Bob Benser, owner of Murdick's Fudge, and Lillian Belonga, manager at Zak's Kandy Haus, said they stayed open later than normal this year and saw improved foot traffic and sales before, during, and after the Saturday night fireworks.

"They definitely improved our sales," Mr. Benser said. "I know it helped. I would like to see it continue for next year."

Mrs. Belonga said Zak's usually closes around 10 p.m. remained open until at least 11 p.m. most Saturday nights this summer.

"Even after the fireworks, people would walk across the street to get more ice cream," she said. "I think it helped a great deal. I would like to see them keep it up."

Mrs. Belonga said it would be a boon to area business if the fireworks were expanded to include the weekend of the St. Ignace Truck Show, too.

Bentley's B-n-L Cafe also experienced later hours and increased business, something Jane Weiss of the restaurant attributed to both the fireworks and near-weekly festivals and events.

"I think it helped tourism in the community," Mrs. Weiss said. "I think the whole summer was better. We had something going on every weekend in the community."

The automated teller in front of the First National Bank on State Street saw similar numbers to Saturdays in 2008, bank President Jim North said. From June through September, Mr. North said ATM transaction numbers were basically flat from last year, varying by only 40 transactions one way or the other.

"Usually it is not that close," he said. "There are a lot of things that can affect that."

Mr. North said with doom and gloom in the economic outlook, being flat from the previous year could be viewed as a positive sign, from a business perspective. The ATM was up 21% in transactions this September, although he said this was likely the result of Labor Day falling in September this year.

Lynann Spencley, front desk manager at Budget Host, said many guests during the summer decided to extend their hotel stays through Saturday, at the suggestion of staff.

Mark Sposito, Mackinac Grille owner and Fireworks Committee member, said he saw between a 5% and 10% increase on all 10 Saturdays compared to his 2008 sales numbers.

"Business-wise, I'm very happy about what the fireworks brought us," Mr. Sposito said.

On the weekend of August 29, when some visitors were unsure if the fireworks would be postponed owing to weather, Mr. Sposito said his waitstaff was "bombarded" with people asking if the fireworks were still planned.

"That right there tells me that it worked," he said. "I'm looking forward to next season and what it will bring."

Two different parties approached Mackinac Grille to rent the restaurant at 7 p.m. on a fireworks Saturday, and Mr. Sposito said he was able to convince them to postpone the reservation until 9 p.m., with the understanding that fireworks would be visible over the bay at dark.

"Both parties booked," he said. If he ever built a facility for large party reservations, Mr. Sposito said, he would expect to fill it for all 10 fireworks dates every summer.

Not all business owners saw a dramatic increase in business, like Stan Gierlaszynski, owner of The Galley restaurant on State Street.

"It's something that is really hard to gauge," Mr. Gierlaszynski said. "I don't think my business increased because of the fireworks."

He did say there were more people downtown on Saturday nights and he expected the downtown area saw increased business. He said keeping up the campaign may benefit the town as a whole in the future.

"Maybe it's something that needs to catch on down the road somewhere," Mr. Gierlaszynski said. "It would be stupid not to go at least another year. I'll support it; I hope it does work out."

Still other business owners did not notice a dramatic increase in sales, but felt the idea itself and the atmosphere the fireworks brought were worth continued investment.

Tom Della-Moretta, owner of The Gold Mine store, described the Saturday atmosphere as "the feeling of a small town" that welcomes all in and gives them a sense of belonging.

Mr. Della-Moretta said he is par- ticularly encouraged by the horns and whistles from ferry boats and parked cars surrounding the bay at the end of each night's display.

"It was so heartwarming," he said. "That was a really cool thing."

He pointed at increased numbers of tourists hanging around the downtown area waiting for the fireworks to start and full outdoor decks at downtown locations like B.C. Pizza to illustrate the campaign's success.

"The anticipation that you are going to have [the fireworks] is the key," Mr. Della-Moretta said.

B.C. Pizza has not yet looked at its sales numbers for this summer, but owner Rob Aukeman said the restaurant stayed busier a little longer than what they have gotten used to in recent years, and there was a definite increase in business after the fireworks were finished.

"I definitely believe the fireworks were worthwhile and I hope they continue to do them," Mr. Aukeman said. "I think it gives people an excuse to come to St. Ignace. We will support them whatever way we can so that they can continue it."

Support and contributions are exactly what the Friends of the Fireworks Committee are asking of the 3,200 businesses and alumni receiving its October fundraising letter. Committee members said the response to this fundraising campaign will be crucial to wrap up the 2009 fireworks campaign and begin preparing to do it again in 2010.

A number of other fundraising efforts are being looked at by the committee for the upcoming tourism season, but committee chair Chris Shepler said the response to these letters will help determine the future of the program.

"If these all come back blank, I don't know how we can go on," Mr. Shepler said. "It's a very important time for us right now as far as fundraising."

The decision to send this letter to the 2,900-strong LaSalle All-class Reunion was made by the committee in May 2009, but committee members said the process of getting the list from the school and drafting the letter has taken them until now.

Paid for by donations from community members, businesses, and local organizations, the 2009 fireworks campaign reached a total price tag of $72,000, most of which has already been collected by the committee. Next year will carry a similar price for contributors, although Mr. Shepler said some costs may be reduced by not having to build the effort from the ground up.

Other ideas being considered to raise money and sustain the fireworks program include donation cans, T-shirt sales, selling trinkets like glow sticks during the events, and what Mr. Shepler called the "good old-fashioned knocking-ondoors" approach.

Getting the community behind the campaign is crucial, Mr. Shepler said, and the committee plans to have at least one town hall meeting to get community feedback in February.

"We need to continue to listen to the community," he said. "Transparency is very important with this. We need to all work together on this thing."

Elizabeth Brown, fireworks committee member and owner of The Pavillion in downtown St. Ignace, said her business definitely picked up this year, and she attributed that increase to the fireworks campaign and the state-funded Pure Michigan advertising, the future of which is uncertain in the contested state budget.

"We are definitely feeling the effect the fireworks had on business on Saturdays," Mrs. Brown said. "Looking downtown, I think almost all the businesses benefited."

Mrs. Brown noticed many of her customers said they would return to St. Ignace again next summer, many of them citing the fireworks as something they wanted to plan vacations around.

"We heard those kind of remarks all summer long," she said. "It's time for all the businesses to come together to promote this effort. None of us can do this alone."

Mr. Shepler said it is still unclear what the return on investment might be for the community that helped fund this summer's program, but watching sales numbers and surveying visitors and businesses on Saturday nights may help determine this in the future.

"The proof will be, as we continue to do this, seeing if it generates more sales," he said. "Consistency is very important with anything when running a business. If we can continue to do it, people could book their vacations around the fireworks."

Mr. Shepler said his duties aboard the boat in Moran Bay during fireworks shows precluded him from walking around downtown Saturday nights, but said the view from the water showed large numbers of cars exiting the downtown area after the displays, something he saw as encouragement to keep up the campaign.

"There were red lights everywhere across town after we finished," he said, referring to car tail lights.

As the committee prepares to close the books on the 2009 campaign, it has already begun to discuss some minor changes to the fireworks show, a slightly different nightly finale, fundraising opportunities, and larger visions of crowddrawing events every summer weekend in St. Ignace.

The echo of ferry and car horns may be slowly dying out as summer turns to autumn, but the small group of city officials, business owners, and community members who call themselves the St. Ignace Friends of the Fireworks will continue to meet regularly, brainstorm for the future, and ask those in the city of St. Ignace to chip in and join them in supporting another year of fireworks over Moran Bay.