By Carol Britton Meyer

The Hull Redevelopment Authority is making a $10,000 donation toward fireworks on the HRA property on Saturday, July 18 as part of the town-sponsored celebration of the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Hull’s USA 250th (Semiquincentennial) Committee is planning special events to commemorate the July 4, 1776 signing as part of a nationwide effort.

The fireworks display will be coordinated with the Hull Youth Football and the Hull Boosters Club’s annual carnival at that location. Both organizations also are making donations toward the event.

At $1,000 per minute for a 30-minute display – which is the plan – and $7,500 for a barge – a discount price offered by Mike McDevitt who runs a tugboat business at Pemberton – the total cost will be $37,500.

The committee will be sending out letters to banks, insurance companies, and other businesses offering sponsorship opportunities to help cover the cost of the 250th activities.

“We have a full year of events planned out,” 250th committee Chair John Reilly told the board this week. “It will be quite a celebration, and we appreciate your donation.”

Hull’s celebration kicked off last weekend with the Snow Row on March 7, which was well attended.

Other events include a parade and field day at the L Street field in mid-August, a gala dance co-sponsored by the Hull Lifesaving Museum, and possibly a dinner dance cruise later in the year.

Reilly, a former select board member and chair of the committee that celebrated Hull’s 375th anniversary in 2019, participated in the meeting at the request of the board after recently asking for a $10,000 donation to answer any questions and explain for what purpose the donation might be used. The town’s contribution is $50,000.

The fundraising goal is $100,000 – although that much may not be needed – according to Reilly, with proceeds from events requiring tickets returned to the 250th fund to help defray expenses.

HRA member Dan Kernan made a strong case for using the donation toward fireworks, which the rest of the board agreed would be a good use.

The board approved the $10,000 donation unanimously, along with the committee’s request to hang a banner on the gazebo letting the community know about upcoming 250th events, contingent on members of the committee putting up and taking down the banner – which would be displayed from Memorial Day to Labor Day – and keeping an eye on it to ensure it remains in good condition.

The committee also is requesting that the lights on the gazebo on the HRA property from the holiday season remain in place and that they be switched to red, white, and blue during the 250th celebration.

A schedule of events will be published in the Times and online.

In other business

• Survey approved. The board talked at length about the upcoming survey that will provide residents with the opportunity to share their preferences for the use of the HRA property. Postcards will be arriving in the mail in the near future with the details.

• Mobile sauna business outlined. Karen LaFond, a Hingham resident who enjoys cold plunging at Nantasket Beach, plans to make a bid for an HRA vendor spot this summer for a mobile sauna for people of all ages.

She ran the idea for her “new, non-traditional” business before the board to get members’ initial feedback and to become familiar with the process.

Input from individuals she has talked with who indicate they would gladly “get into the heat on the beach but not into the cold” gave her the idea. She noted that mobile saunas have increased in popularity in Scandanavian countries.

In LaFond’s case, this involves a 6-by-12-foot trailer affixed with a sauna heated by fire that can seat six people at a time and a changing room.

Rather than health benefits, LaFond’s focus is on the social interaction and connections that would be made among people “sitting next to each other without cell phones in hand, with conversations going on around them.”

The vendor spaces are awarded to the highest bidders, followed by a permitting process.

LaFond’s plan is to apply for a vendor space this summer through the bidding process, with thought given later to a possible off-season arrangement.

“This sounds like a great thing in general – and a great spot for it,” Kernan said.

HRA member Adrienne Paquin said she’s “so jazzed about this. I would have been there all winter if you were there.”

The next HRA meetings are scheduled for March 30 and April 6. The board will review seasonal vendor bids on March 30 and the parking lot bids at the April meeting.

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