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NATCHEZ — Next Friday is the deadline to have a contract in place for Miss Lou Fireworks’ annual July 4 show on the Mississippi River at Natchez and Vidalia. However, about $9,000 worth of sponsorships are still needed to make that happen.

Organizer Sabrina Doré said she has faith that there are more individuals and small business owners in the Miss Lou who love the show enough that they will become new sponsors and the community will come through to make the show happen.

Doré founded the nonprofit Miss Lou Fireworks in 2018 to coordinate the annual show.

This was because in 2017, there was no public fireworks display to light the sky over the Mississippi River, something that she and her family looked forward to each year, she said.

“In 2017, we did not have a Fourth of July show and as we were getting closer to New Year’s Eve we had nothing scheduled,” Doré said. “So what I did is I bought a lot of fireworks with money out of my own pocket and told everyone to meet me at the Vidalia Riverfront and shot them off. Not many showed up, but I did that.”

Doré said not only are the fireworks and their reflections glittering on the surface of the river beautiful, but a community show draws people to together from all walks of life.

“There’s no age limit and there’s no economic limit. People line up along the river spanning both the Natchez and Vidalia sides and collectively join in saying ‘ooh and ‘ah’ at the sky. The whole experience has always been magical for me and I just didn’t want to see another year go by without a show.”

Before that time, René Adams was the facilitator of gathering the sponsorships while running a restaurant business, Doré said. Over time, the task of doing both became overwhelming and sponsors were getting harder and harder to find. She gladly handed over the reigns, Doré said.

However, with another recent decline in sponsors, it is getting close to the point where there could be no show at all.

“I’m beginning to feel what she felt,” Doré said. “I’m seeing firsthand just how difficult it is.

“Usually, we’re able to get those sponsorships in time. But the last two shows those sponsorships have declined. In this economy, I completely understand that. Funds are tighter for everybody. That’s why we’re really hoping a bunch of new sponsors will join the effort.”

Doré said she doesn’t feel financially comfortable signing a contract without at least having 90 percent of the money needed to do it.

“As of this morning, we have $17,650 of the required $26,650, so we’re inching our way,” she said. “We are seeing this time a lot of community sponsors, small businesses who realize we love small contributions as much as the larger ones.”

Miss Lou Fireworks is a 501(c)3 organization, so sponsorships can be used as a business tax write-off or as advertising dollars. Contributors are spotlighted on social media and in print newspaper ads as an in-kind donation from the Natchez Democrat.

“As more people are learning how expensive the show is as a whole and how easy it is to become a sponsor and make that impact, a lot of people (will) want to contribute,” Doré said, adding no donation is too small.

She also encouraged restaurant and hotel businesses — who benefit the most from having a show as people come from all over just to see it — to become sponsors.

“Community members who are not able to financially sponsor can still help out by interacting with (social media) posts that name who the sponsors are and share their appreciation,” Doré said. “That way those who are sponsors see how much the community greatly appreciates it.”

To learn more about Miss Lou Fireworks, follow on social media or contact Sabrina Doré at SabrinaDore@Outlook.com or call 318-336-9625.

Checks can be mailed to Miss Lou Fireworks at 1636 Carter St., Vidalia, LA 71373.

Or, Venmo Doré directly at Sabrina-Doré.