LATHROP — Proceeds from the sale of Fourth of July Safe and Sane fireworks at the booth located in the parking lot of the Lathrop Crossings shopping center on South Harlan Road will help make the fireworks display for Lathrop Days possible.

The booth is run by the Lathrop Celebration Committee which is responsible for organizing the events for the annual event, formerly called Lathrop Days, to be held Saturday, Sept. 24, at the Dell’Osso Farms. Other events such as the South County Idol which is also a part of the annual celebration, will be held in the Community Center at Valverde Park.

To raise the money that will be needed for that celebration, the committee needs help from volunteers. Committee member Diane Lazard said they need volunteers to man the booth from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. through Monday, July 4. She said they have three four-hour shifts at the booth – 9:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., 2 to 6 p.m., and 6 to 10 p.m. Prospective volunteers can choose the shift that’s convenient for them, Lazard said.

Anyone interested can simply report at the booth site or they can call Lazard at (209) 390-5099 to sign up or to obtain more information. Each volunteer who has never done the job before will be trained on-site, Lazard said.

Several members of the city staff have already put in their volunteer hours, she said. They include senior planner Charlie Mullins, and Juliana Burns who is the city manager’s assistant. Last year, the volunteers included City Manager Cary Keaten and other staff, Lazard said.

Other volunteers who have stepped up so far are members of the Youth Focus such as Lathrop Harvest Youth Ambassador Anthony Contreras, Holiday Fair Youth Ambassador Jorvic Ramos, who just graduated from Lathrop High School, and Stanislaus State University senior student Sophia Dhaliwal, daughter of City Councilman Sonny Dhaliwal.

“And, of course, (city finance director) Terry Vigna has always helped us,” Lazard added.

The Lathrop Celebration Committee is just one of the half-dozen non-profit groups given permits to open a Safe and Sane Fireworks booth within the Lathrop city limits. The others are the Lathrop Lions Club, the Lathrop Rotary, Lighthouse Community Church, and the Boys and Girls Club of Manteca and Lathrop.