City discontinues Celebrate Shoreline Parade
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Corrected 1-23-2013 9:45pm
Celebrate Shoreline is the City’s week-long signature event held each August. Over the past 17 years Celebrate Shoreline has grown to include a DogFest at Hamlin Park, the North City Jazz Walk, a skateboard competition at Paramount Park, and the sandcastle building competition at Richmond Beach, in addition to the original parade and festival. These events have provided residents an opportunity to come together as a community and celebrate what it means to live in Shoreline.
While many of the events are very well attended and even growing in popularity, like the North City Jazz Walk, parade participation has dropped by 38% over the last 6 years. This drop, combined with other factors such as Cromwell Park’s redesign completion, has led City Council to support staff in transitioning to a new event format for 2013.
The most visible changes to the event will be the discontinuation of the parade and the relocation of the festival from Ridgecrest Elementary to Cromwell Park. Releasing the parade to the annals of history will allow financial resources to be redirected to a revitalized festival. Council and staff are excited to move the festival to a central location in the City while having the opportunity to show off one of Shoreline’s newest parks.
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10 comments:
At last, a prudent fiscal decision by the Shoreline City Council. Or is it prologue for a tax hike?
How sad for the resident's of Shoreline!! Maybe they should not have built the New City Hall!!! Or spent so much on the Aurora Ave. Nightmare! How many Business's have lost money or been shut down do to this~ Don't like where the City is going Kids are almost done with School (they are getting bad also), then we are out of here!
Great decision. I think the actual event will be better.
Remember just 2 years ago the City stated the levy lift MUST PASS in order to keep community services? Guess what? Even with the levy lift the city is cutting services the community enjoys.
Celebrate Shoreline does NOT include a dog fest in Hamlin Park, that is a different function sponsored by ShoreDog. Until this past year it was sponsored on a different weekend than Celebrate Shoreline.
Why is their no specific agenda item on the city council web page? If the city council supports the decision of the city staff, there is no proof as there is no specific action taken by the council. This is typical double-speak from the city since there was no vote.
From what I read the City is shifting funds from a parade that no one was going to over to make the festival itself better. Which is much, much needed. The festival was awful. Very little food vendors, political booths, etc. Boring.
I love the parade, and I agree with Anonymous -- the festival is boring. What a shame.
Bummer! We love the parade and it has been a fun summer tradition.
The headline of this article is inaccurate. Discontinuing the parade is due to lack of participation. As the article states, participation has been decreasing every year. The City is taking steps to turn this event into a VIBRANT, fun event, reallocating the funds used for the parade - which believe it or not was very expensive, with the cost of street closures and hiring police to direct traffic. The businesses in North City did not appreciate the closing of their main street either. Before you judge, wait and see how terrific the new event will be. And BTW, DogFest is co-sponsored by the City.
I agree with the decision. The street closures were problematic for the businesses and for through traffic in the area...plus, the location not being central a minor aspect. It was a venue for politicians to be seen and a "see it once or twice" sort of thing for the rest. A re-boot was certainly in order.
The central location will be helpful, I wonder if the parking lot can handle the participation. If not, the neighborhoods will be absorbing the extra vehicles. It is, however, on a north/south busline (Metro #346, Aurora Village to Meridian Ave. N. to Northgage) and near an east/west busline (#348 from Briarcrest and North City to Richmond Beach).
Bring back the parade! That is a staple for children, community businesses...it's a MUST!!!
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