A local company has stepped in to ensure Prior Lake has its fireworks this Fourth of July.

Integra Telecom has donated $5,000 toward the display, set for dusk on the Fourth at Watzl’s Beach in Lakefront Park.

The Prior Lake Association, which puts on the display each year, had come up with less than half the money it needs to keep the sparks in the sky. Before Integra pitched in over the weekend, the association collected about $5,000 of the $11,500 it needed for this year’s show, said Loren Jones, an association member.

“It is our pleasure to make the Fourth of July at Prior Lake a special night for the community,” said Dave Kunde, senior vice president of Integra Telecom, in a prepared statement. “When the Prior Lake Association reached out to us for help, it was an easy decision to make as the fireworks show has been a special tradition at Prior Lake for decades.”

Jones said he and the association members are “thrilled” with the donation. The fireworks show attracts up to 10,000 people each year, including as many as 500 boats on the water.

The association came up a bit short for last year’s display, too, but it was able to use reserves to pay for the show. The group’s funding for this year’s show dwindled because it had to spend thousands of dollars to replace and add navigation buoys on Prior Lake, said association member Frank Fourre. The association’s funding comes from member contributions and donations from local residents and businesses.

-- Lori Carlson