Despite City budget cuts, “the show will go on” – at least when it comes to the annual holiday Jacksonville Light Parade.
Mayor Alvin Brown made the announcement Monday afternoon on the Downtown Northbank near the Landing.
He was joined by members of the boating, hospitality and business communities who banded together to raise money to augment the City’s contribution.
“This is great news for the City, for Downtown and for thousands of residents,” Brown said.
He credited a coalition consisting of local boaters, Visit Jacksonville, the Jacksonville Marine Association, Downtown Vision Inc. and the
business community, a group Brown described as “civic-minded leaders,” for keeping the 27th annual event on the schedule for the Saturday after Thanksgiving.
“It is truly inspiring to see Jacksonville’s business community step up. It takes the burden off the City,” said Brown.
DVI has pledged $15,000 to the effort. Visit Jacksonville, the marketing and sales arm of the City’s Tourist Development Council, agreed to contribute $27,000.
Landing Marketing Director and Light Parade Committee Chair Michael Chambliss said the committee had to pledge to raise $55,000 for the event.
“We haven’t reached it yet, but we’re sure we will,” he said.
Before the news conference concluded, Landing partner Toney Sleiman said he believes the Light Parade must be a public-private partnership.
“If it’s short, I’ll make it up. So we’ve got it,” he said.
Brown pledged a $1,000 check “from Alvin Brown and family.”
He said he couldn’t put an exact figure on how much money it will cost for the City to coordinate the event. “I’ll do whatever it takes to make it work,” he said.
Brown estimated that 200,000 people come Downtown each year to view the parade of as many as 100 illuminated power and sailboats.
“And we want to increase that,” he said.
Daniel O’Byrne, president and CEO of Visit Jacksonville, said the effort in the hospitality community to save the parade began in August when it was apparent the event was not in the City’s 2011-12 budget and therefore cancelled after 26 years.
“We wanted to make sure that didn’t happen,” he said.
O’Byrne said it wasn’t a hard sell for Visit Jacksonville to agree to contribute to the locally based event.
He said the Light Parade represents about 3,000 room nights at the eight Downtown hotels and an economic impact of $250,000 in room nights alone.
“The hotel general managers said this is a signature event, and they understood why the City couldn’t continue to pay for it,” O’Byrne said.
But, he said, “it’s an economic engine” for the hoteliers.
Light Parade Committee member Pat Craig Corda, now an event consultant, worked for former Mayor Jake Godbold and remembered how the event began shortly after the completion of the Southbank Riverwalk.
She said the event has come full circle in terms of business community involvement.
“I created this event 28 years ago. It was my baby. The Sheraton Hotel (now the Wyndham Riverwalk on the Southbank) paid for the fireworks. We had to get a sponsor because the City didn’t have the money,” she said.
Chambliss said with funding in place, it’s time for the boating community to do its part.
“Registration is free, but it’s limited to 100 boats. Boat owners need to go to www.makeascenedowntown.com today and register,” he said.
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