CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Oysterfest is a beloved tradition that brings in crowds from far and wide, however this year, there are going to be some changes.
Due to inflation, organizers have had to cut back on the opening night firework show.
The Fulton Volunteer Fire Department relies heavily on monies from the oyster fest to fund their efforts year-round, but this year they had take away the firework show in order to cover the bare necessities.
"Last year it was about $30,000 for 14 minutes," Fulton mayor Kelli Cole said.
"The biggest expense is the tents and the fencing," she said. "This is the first year we had to go with a different tent company. The company that did it for probably 40 years retired. It was more of an expense this time."
Fulton Volunteer Fire Department Chief Cody Morales said the event plays a crucial role in funding their operations.
"This event, this four-day event, is essentially half our budget for the year," Morales said. "This buys our equipment, this buys our stations, everything we own."
Morales said that other factors also played a role in deciding to cut the firework show.
"A lot of time in March it was foggy or real windy," he said. "Sometimes we can't even do the show, so we decided to cut that show and spend that money somewhere else."
Even without the firework show, Cole said she's certain crowds will show up and shuck out.
"It's mainly San Antonio, the Houston area, those are the biggest areas we got, Victoria and Corpus," she said.
Cole told 3NEWS they are looking to try and bring the firework show back. She says that they will have more time to plan and figure out ways to work within their new budget.
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