The Fourth of July is only days away, and sales from the fireworks booth are responsible for funding the fireworks show organized by the Jaycees. With the loss of their booth, the Jaycees realized they would need some help from the community, and the community delivered.

A hollow shell is all that remains of the Jaycee's fireworks booth in Havre. An early morning blaze on Tuesday destroyed the booth and all of its contents, causing an estimated $15,000 worth of damage.

Andy Owens, a member of the Jaycees, says, "My heart kind of sank, because we put a lot into building it, about four years ago, we tore the old one down and built this one, and a few of us got a lot of man hours to building that."

The Jaycees have been putting on fireworks displays in Havre every Fourth of July since the 1960's. They use the proceeds from the booth to pay for the show. With so much inventory lost, and no booth, they are salvaging what they can and receiving a ton of support from community members.

Amanda Laeupple, president of the Havre Jaycees, explains, "The community has been amazing. I've received a lot of phonecalls at work, as well as on my cellphone, saying, 'You know, the Jaycees do so much for our community, we're going to do whatever we can.' The community came out and supported us, gave us a lot of donations, and we are actually able to do our full display as planned now."

Alara Vogel, a junior member of Jaycees, says, "We've had a lot of donations, and everyone's been smiles."

Andy Owens adds, "The community has just stepped up to great expectations, and I am overwhelmed from what the community is doing for the Havre Jaycees."

In this time of need, even the booth's competitors are stepping in to help. R & M Fireworks is just across the lot from where the Jaycee's booth burned down.

Thad Arnold runs the stand at R & M Fireworks. He explains, "Well, we're hoping to get them as much money as possible so they can put on a nice Fourth of July show this year for the community of Havre."

Although this is a tragic loss for the city of Havre and the Jaycees, thankfully no one was hurt, and thanks to a team effort, Fourth of July in this community will go out with a bang this year.

An investigation into the cause of the fire is still underway. The Jaycees are welcoming all donations, and if you are interested in helping, you can call them at (406) 945-3417 or send donations to Havre Jaycees, P.O. Box 1327, Havre, MT 59501.