Donors save Seattle's Fourth of July fireworks

LOCATION: SEATTLE

DATE: Last updated April 2, 2010 10:15 a.m. PT

BY: KIRO-FM, http://mynorthwest.com/

 

DETAILS: SEATTLE -- A day after plans for Seattle's Fourth of July fireworks fizzled, the annual display is back on the calendar thanks to a burst of donations.

The nonprofit that organizes the show, One Reel, announced Friday it has reached the goal of $500,000 in pledges.

The campaign ignited spontaneously Thursday when restaurant owner and chef Tom Douglas pledged $5,000 on KIRO Radio's Dave Ross show and Ross added $1,000 of his own money.

A number of businesses phoned in pledges and Starbucks and Microsoft said they'd each match $125,000 in donations.

One Reel had lost major corporate sponsorship of the show that attracts tens of thousands of people to the shores of Lake Union and is considered a Seattle summer tradition.