Nonprofit groups that have depended on the annual Neighbor Fair for a financial boost will go wanting this year. The fair has fizzled.
The promoter who has organized the Pioneer Day fair and fireworks show for the past 11 years has folded it. Gary Howard of Howard Communications Group blames dwindling participation from charitable groups and the public for the fair's demise."The event became too expensive," Howard said. "I subsidized it out-of-pocket $12,000 in 1994 and $10,000 in '93. I like a party as much as the next guy does, but not enough to do that."
Salt Lake City will take over the fireworks show, ensuring that Pioneer Day (July 24) doesn't pass without a spectacle in the sky. And, in a move that is sure to delight many people, the city will stage the display at Liberty Park.
"I'm sorry that we don't have a Neighbor Fair this year. It's been an institution," said Salt Lake Mayor Deedee Corradini. "With it went the fireworks. It was important for the city to step in and do the fireworks this year."
The city's $30,000 fireworks display will be synchronized to music broadcast by Arrow 103.5. There will be no food or activity booths, however.
Corradini said next year the city will look for a way to bring back a revitalized Neighbor Fair.
The aim of the Neighbor Fair was to help nonprofit groups raise money and build public awareness.
Howard staged the fair and fireworks show in Liberty Park until last year, when he moved them to the Gallivan Utah Center. That proved to be an ill-fated decision.
Many people complained about the change - both to Howard and to the city, which actually had nothing to do with the privately sponsored Neighbor Fair. People said they preferred the grassy, shady environs of Liberty Park in mid-July to the concrete, commercial atmosphere of the Gallivan Center and nearby malls, which staged some fair events.
"I thought it was a dumb idea to move it down to Gallivan Center and charge people to get in," said Councilman Alan Hardman. "Thousands of people spreading blankets on hot concrete didn't make sense."
Nonprofit groups that set up food booths also found it hard to compete with nearby fast-food and other downtown restaurants.
Howard tried raising money up front by selling $5 admission buttons to the event last year. That, too, didn't go over well.
About half as many people turned out for the event - 42,000 compared to average attendance of 100,000 in previous years.
"The $5 entrance fee affected it dramatically," Howard said. "It became a destination event rather than a hangout event. I tried to build the event with so much value for a $5 ticket that nobody could complain."
But some people still did.
"There were a lot of complaints with that whole event moving out of the park," said Holly Ridd, special events coordinator for the city.
The number of nonprofit groups participating dwindled, too, as they found it harder to make money at the event. Last year about 42 groups set up booths. In years past, as many as 115 groups were part of the fair.
"It was a noble event that I think had its heart in the right place, and it just couldn't survive financially," Howard said.