Ellis fireworks return to Cedar Rapids on July 2

A double-barreled blast of beauty is ready to blaze through the night sky over the Cedar River in Cedar Rapids on July 2 and 4.

After a three-year hiatus, the Cedar Boat Club is bringing back a 45-year tradition of ushering in the Independence Day holiday with a brilliant fireworks show downstream of Ellis Harbor, where many clubs members own boathouses or houseboats.

Typically held on July 3, the fireworks will be held July 2 this year, then return to July 3 in 2024. J&M displays of Yarmouth, which creates the Ellis fireworks, had already scheduled an event for July 3 this year, but is on board for that date next year, said Jody Bowers of Cedar Rapids, the Cedar Boat Club’s First Lady and spokeswoman.

That’s the same company that choreographs the Celebration of Freedom fireworks show July 4 in downtown Cedar Rapids.

Now celebrating its 75th birthday, the Cedar Boat Club is rebounding from the pandemic to the point where the club could secure the financing needed for the fireworks, Bowers said.

The display typically costs between $15,000 and $20,000, she said, plus an equivalent amount for the equipment and Cedar Rapids Police security detail needed for the event that draws about 40,000 spectators.

Club members view the fireworks as their community’s gift to the larger community, so they were determined to bring them back when the time was right.

“We've actually been trying to bring them back for a couple of years,” Bowers said. “During the pandemic, all membership dues, all fundraising, etc., was put on hiatus just because a lot of it is all in-person (events), so we didn't have the funds available.

“We were rebuilding most of last year, trying to get our dues payments and our membership built back up, and then having some fundraisers last year. We just couldn't get to the point by July that we could commit to paying that bill, so we put it off until this year,” Bowers said. “And luckily, we were able to secure all the funding that we needed to be able to commit.”

  Buy Photo

Boat club milestone

The show coincides with the boat club’s 75th anniversary.

Established in 1948, the club promotes “family fun on the Cedar River,” as well as safety checks and advocacy, according to its website, cedarboatclub.org/history.

The service and social organization attracts members from Eastern Iowa and as far as Colorado, some of whom “move in” for the summer. Even though the online membership application stipulates members must have a slip at the harbor, Bowers said that’s not strictly enforced.

“We really don’t stick to this too closely, because at times people will sell their boats or be in between boats,” she said. “You do generally need to have a vote to be part to be part of the boat club, but you don’t necessarily have to have a boathouse or even a slip at Ellis.”

Numbers are beginning to rebound after dropping off during the pandemic.

“We're still rebuilding, Bowers said. “I think for paid members, we’re approaching the 30 range. In the heyday, they had a limit, actually, that was around 100 to 150. We're hoping to get back to that point where we would need to limit, but we'll see.”

Membership is $75, which offers discounts or free participation for the club’s events. The group offers public events on a much larger scale, including the “Fire on the River” drag boat races from 1 to 4 p.m. Aug. 26 by the Ellis Park ski show bleachers.

Bowers said the club also hopes to add other events next year, potentially bringing back the Venetian lighted boat parade from years past, and launching a new two-day event, the Ellis Harbor Family Fun Fest.

  Buy Photo

Being safety-oriented, the club offers vessel safety checks in coordination with the Linn County Sheriff’s Department and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources over the Memorial Day weekend.

Members also have served on the Parks & Waterways Recreation Commission, and “hopes to reengage in the conversations on river development and identify recreational opportunities involving Cedar River and Cedar Rapids tourism,” according to the club’s online history page.

The nonprofit organization, which holds spring and fall fundraisers, has channeled funds and management for such projects as the public boat dock across from Quaker Oats, and the sheriff’s department’s patrol boat well in Ellis Harbor.

Boathouse vs. houseboat

By the way, don’t know the difference between a boathouse and houseboat? Bowers said the clue is in the last part of the name. Boathouses are houses docked on the water. Houseboats are actual boats that can navigate the river.

Bowers estimated that Ellis Harbor has about 50 to 60 boathouses, which stay in the water year-round, but are occupied mostly spring to fall, and about four or five houseboats, a number cut in half because of damage to the wall where they dock.

“I'm not sure if it was due to just lack of maintenance or just original design or just expenditure of its life,” she said of the wall damage.

Regardless of the type of unit, what the harbor offers its residents is a sense of community.

“It's amazing, honestly,” Bowers said. “One thing that's really cool about the harbor, in and of itself, is that it's rare. There are only a handful of communities across the country that even have something like that.

“So I think the sense of community that you get just being on the water and being around people that share the same passions as you is one thing, but also just that little neighborhood ... is fantastic, as well.

“I think it's really important that the city hold on and maintain that neighborhood and that rarity that they have to offer, that no other communities around us do.”

Comments: (319) 368-8508; diana.nollen@thegazette.com