COEUR d'ALENE — The Fourth of July is less than a week away, but funding for the much-anticipated fireworks show is not as high as it should be.

Coeur d'Alene Chamber of Commerce President Steve Wilson said the fireworks fund is about 10-12 percent behind where it normally is this time of year.

"We're about $6,000 short of where we need to be," Wilson said Monday.

The fireworks show and its fund exist because of donations from the community, including a range of personal donations and donations from local businesses and organizations. The goal for this year's show is about $25,000.

Aside from being a community tradition that is for the people and financed by the people, Wilson said the fireworks are one of the most important pieces of Coeur d'Alene's hometown Independence Day celebration.

"It's a great way to celebrate the patriotism and the goodwill that's created by living in a wonderfully beautiful area," he said.

The fireworks are a spectacular end to a busy holiday full of activities that are orchestrated by the chamber. The Hometown Heroes parade begins at 11 a.m. along Sherman Avenue, followed by an afternoon and evening of music in City Park.

Various sections of the 25th Army Band will be performing this year — woodwinds at 1:30 p.m., brass at 3 p.m., saxophones at 5 p.m. and the rock band at 6:45 p.m. The Motown band New Jack City will perform at 8:30 p.m. and will play until the fireworks begin.

"It certainly is a great day of commerce and a great week of commerce," Wilson said. "It attracts hundreds and hundreds of people who spend several days taking advantage of all that we have to offer the tourists."

Donations are being accepted at The Coeur d'Alene Resort Boardwalk as well as the chamber of commerce and its website, www.cdachamber.com. Parade-goers can also expect to see the Snakepit Derby Dames serving as the Bucket Brigade and happily accepting pocket change and bills as they roll along the parade route.

Wilson said his fireworks fund estimate includes the $9,500 revenue that is expected to come from the daily parking fees in all downtown city lots on the Fourth. Thanks to a partnership with Kootenai County and the city of Coeur d'Alene, Wilson said, half of the money that will come from the $15 parking fees will be contributed to the fireworks fund.

"This is a way of collecting funding from the thousands of people coming from outside the community," Wilson said.

The entire day of Fourth of July activities costs the chamber about $60,000, including security and traffic control, musicians and more. It attracts at least 30,000 visitors to downtown.

The fireworks will start bursting over Lake Coeur d'Alene at dusk on the Fourth of July.