AURORA — Make no bones about it.

The 25th annual Aurora Fossil Festival is fully funded, thanks to a set of generous donations from Nutrien and the community as a whole. The festival was lacking approximately $6,000 dollars in funds at last count, but as of Tuesday, the entirety of the event’s needs will be fulfilled.

“It just blew me away to see the support of the community,” festival committee co-chair Cynthia Crane said. “All of us were surprised and proud to be a part of the community that provided that support.“

While the festival has met its goal for 2018, Crane said the committee is already establishing fundraising plans for 2019. Later this summer, once the festival has passed, the group will kick off a nine-month fundraising campaign to begin preparing for next year’s event.

“The community’s support shows every year, but it shined a little bit brighter this year,” Crane said. “Seeing how much the community cares about this event is special.”

Speaking on the Festival’s importance to the community, Nurtien Public and Government Affairs Manager Ray McKeithan expressed that his company recognizes the importance of the event to the Aurora area and its young people. The Nutrien donation will specifically ensure that kids will be able to enjoy the festival’s rides at no cost.

“The Aurora Fossil Festival is one of the premier events in the region because it offers an exciting educational component,” McKeithan said in an email. “It is well-attended and showcases the great partnership we share with the Aurora- Richland Chamber of Commerce and the Aurora Fossil Museum. The organizing committee does an excellent job preparing an event that’s fun for the entire family.”

The Aurora Fossil Festival will take place Memorial Day weekend in downtown Aurora. The event begins with opening ceremonies from 6 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. Friday and continues with a variety of festivities from 8 a.m. to 10:45 p.m. Saturday. For more information, visit www.aurorafossilfestival.net.