San Marcos crowdfunding Fourth of July fireworks display
A Fourth of July Fireworks Display
(The Union Tribune)
By Deborah Sullivan Brennan
SAN MARCOS —
San Marcos residents who want to support the city's annual Fourth of July celebration can mail a check to city hall, or just click on GoFundMe to donate.
San Marcos has staged an annual fireworks display for 35 years, and has always relied on public largess to foot the bill. The city pays for the festival and music, and for security costs such as sheriff, fire, and road closures, said Recreation Program Manager Andrea Gonzalez. This year, it has budgeted $52,700 for those expenses.
However, the fireworks display itself is entirely funded by private donations from residents and businesses.
"This is something that just resonates with the spirit of the community, and the community has always been willing to donate to cover it," she said.
As fund-raising in general has gone online, the city has followed suit, posting a GoFundMe campaign last year and this year for its Fireworks Extravaganza.
"As we're moving forward in social media, it's so much easier for someone to click on their Facebook account and do a GoFundMe, rather than writing a check and sending it through the mail," Gonzalez said.
The city aims to raise a total of $30,000 for the fireworks show, and set its GoFundMe goal at $5,500, hoping to cover part of that. That's $500 more than its original campaign on the platform last year, she said. As of Monday, it had brought in $1,900, and it will do a push Facebook push to drum up donations starting July 2, Gonzalez said.
"The City of San Marcos is home to one of the most spirited Fourth of July celebrations in North County San Diego," the page states. "The event features live music, kids' activities and food, culminating with a spectacular fireworks celebration that is enjoyed at NO CHARGE to residents or their guests. The fireworks show is entirely dependent on private donations."
It's not alone in its online bid. A search of the term "fireworks" on GoFundMe Monday yielded 1,943 funding requests, many backed by local communities or other public entities.
Other San Diego communities including La Mesa and Penasquitos are also soliciting digital donations for their fireworks displays. On Monday, La Mesa was closing in on its goal for $85,000 for a Fourth of July festival at Lake Murray, with donations of $75,503.
"After several years on hiatus, the beloved San Diego Lake Murray Music Fest and Fireworks show returned on July 4th, 2017," the GoFundMe pitch stated. "The massive attendance over the past two years showed that this event was sorely missed by our community. If you missed outlast year, don't miss out again on being part of the team."
A GoFundMe campaign by the Rancho De Los Penasquitos Town Council aimed to raise $35,000 by April 1, but fell short, drawing just $940 in donations.
Other cities have shared costs with private donors. In 2014, Imperial Beach hosted its first fireworks display in decades, splitting the $50,000 price tag between the city and community. Although a GoFundMe Campagin by Imperial Beach netted just $1,535 of the requested $25,000, organizers were able to raise a total of $14,000 through various sources, and the city picked up the balance.
In San Marcos, the city is aiming for, but not relying on donations. The council budgeted the entire amount required to host the event in its general fund, and will offset with that with the donations it receives.
"It has been budgeted, so the show will go on," Gonzalez said. "Obviously, if we are very short of our goal, it would have to be re-evaluated next year."
The San Marcos event will take place from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. on July 4, at Bradley Park, 1587 Linda Vista Drive, San Marcos.
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