NEW BERLIN – This Saturday, the New Berlin Youth Days Committee will be holding a spaghetti dinner fundraiser at the New Berlin Fire Station in hopes they can bridge the gap in funding needed to offset the costs of last summer’s event.

The 48th Annual Youth Days was held on Aug. 28, 29 and 30 as a series of torrential rains passed over the area, reducing attendance on opening night to around a hundred people – a far cry from the typically received 1,500 visitors.

The following day, the storms continued to deter patrons and delayed the Youth Days Parade by a half hour as hundreds who turned out for the wet event sought shelter in nearby storefronts as the worst of the weather passed by.

“In all the years we can remember having the event, we can’t remember a single time we’ve had this problem before,” said committee member and New Berlin NBT Manager Brian Burton.

The problem, apart from the poor weather, is the lack of attendance and sales the event failed to generate, leaving planners with a $1,000 debt.

The committee said that it usually has around $2,500 left over from the three-day carnival to hand out to the different charities that participated. This year, they need $1,000 just to break even.