KINGSTON — Last year the Kingston Fourth of July Celebration planning committee met its fundraising goal with three days to spare.

This year the fundraising outlook is even more grim.

As of May 18, the committee had raised less than half as much money as it had at the same time in 2009 — $3,643 compared to $7,784.

Organizer Dale Rude said donations from businesses are down for the second year in a row, probably because of the slow economy.

“They had a difficult time last year, and they are having a difficult time again this year,” Rude said. “Because corporate donations are down, it will need to come from the people.”

Organizers hope to raise about $30,000 to support the festival, which includes a children’s fair, fireworks and a parade touted as the longest running west of the Mississippi River.

Recently other festivals have threatened to cancel fireworks displays due to a lack of funding. Rude said the Kingston committee doesn’t want to make provocative proclamations, but it will need to make hard decisions about what to fund if it can’t meet its budget goals.

At $16,500, fireworks account for more than half of the Kingston Fourth’s budget. Music represents the second biggest budget chunk. If funding comes up short, Rude said the committee would probably look at trimming one of those items.

The Kingston Fourth committee will host a number of fundraisers between now and July. T-shirts and hats will go on sale soon and an auction benefit is planned for June 18.

For more information see www.kingstontinytown.com.