So much for our primo view from Maple Leaf Park of the Fourth of July fireworks show at Gasworks Park.
One Reel, the nonprofit that produces the event every year, announced on the Chase Family4th Web site that the annual show over Lake Union has been canceled after it was unable to secure a corporate sponsor.
Remember, last year Ivar’s pulled the plug on its Elliott Bay fireworks show on the Fourth, which means Seattle will now be without an Independence Day celebration that lights up the night.
UPDATE: MyNorthwest reports that Tom Douglas has pledged $5,000 to keep the fireworks show alive while on the “Dave Ross Show” on KIRO-FM/93.7. Ross also pledged $1,000, and is seeking additional donations from community businesses in $1,000 increments. So far, Taco Time also has donated $5,000. The goal is to gather $500,000 to save the Family 4th.
If you’d like to contribute to the pot, contact Ross at 888-973-5476 or dross@973kiro.com, and tell him the name of your business, a phone number where you can be reached, and the amount of your bid in $1,000 increments.
Our partner site My Wallingford has more on the event’s cancellation, including concerns that this may lead to more illegal fireworks around the city. What concerns do you have about the city losing one of its biggest celebrations of the year?
The letter from Tomoko Moriguchi Matsuno, president of the One Reel Board of Directors, follows:
Dear Community,
Since 1988, One Reel, the Seattle not-for-profit arts organization of which I am Board President, has been proud to produce the cherished Independence Day celebration and fireworks show, the Family 4th at Lake Union. This day of free family entertainment and a dazzling fireworks display has been, for more than two decades, an important time for us to come together as a community and celebrate this great country.
As a non-profit organization, One Reel’s core mission is to produce arts and cultural events that engage and enrich our community, but we cannot do it alone. You may not realize this free civic celebration has been an annual gift to Seattle made possible only through the generosity of a corporate sponsor who underwrites the cost of the event. One Reel wishes to extend a very special thank you to the sponsors we’ve been fortunate to work with over the years, including Fratelli’s, Cellular One, AT&T, WaMu and Chase.
For the past 15 months, One Reel has worked tirelessly to secure a title sponsor for the 2010 Family 4th at Lake Union but, regrettably, we were not able to secure one in time to proceed with this year’s event. For that reason, it is with a heavy heart we announce there will be no fireworks or festivities at Gas Works Park this year.
We understand the disappointment you must feel; we feel it too. However, I can assure you that One Reel is already hard at work searching for a new title sponsor who shares our commitment to presenting this beloved community event in Seattle next year, and long into the future. As always, One Reel remains dedicated to providing you with premier events—from the Family 4th at Lake Union, to Bumbershoot: Seattle’s Music & Arts Festival, to Teatro ZinZanni—that showcase the talent, artistic diversity and integrity of our great city.
Thank you, Seattle, for your ongoing support. We’d like to thank everyone—from our generous past title sponsors, to the City of Seattle, to event suppliers and on-site vendors, to more than 5 million patriotic revelers over the last 20 years—all of whom have made this event such an iconic holiday tradition.
We look forward to seeing you next year at Gas Works Park for the Family 4th at Lake Union.
Sincerely,
Tomoko Moriguchi Matsuno
President and CEO Uwajimaya Inc.
President, One Reel Board of Directors
