The City of Taylor is changing its annual summer festival, making it more family friendly, while promoting its expanded “summer of festivals” in the city.

The newly-named Taylor Family Festival in July joins the Masco Art in the Park Festival in June, an all-new event in August and the Taylor Fall Festival in October for four great events during the festival season.

The Taylor Family Festival will take place Saturday and Sunday, July 11 and 12, at Heritage Park. Plans for the event include many of the family-friendly events of past summer festivals, including the carnival, concerts, Taylor Rotary Fishing Derby, a 5K run and mud volleyball tournament.

Additional low-cost or no-cost family events include:
Family Day Games with parents and children competing in such events as a pie-eating competition, two-legged race and balloon toss.
”Touch a Truck,” which will enable kids to climb on and into various trucks, such as a dump truck, military vehicles and a fire truck.
Saturday concerts that the whole family can attend.
Movie in the Park, featuring a free film at dusk for the whole family.
A spaghetti dinner to raise funds for the Fish & Loaves Community Food Bank.
Taylor schools alumni participation.
A vendor area with American-made and Michigan-made products sold by businesses in our community.
Mimes, jugglers, magicians and other low-cost entertainment for children and families throughout the weekend.
A junior mud volleyball tournament.

Eliminated for 2009, a year of economic uncertainty, is the most costly component: the fireworks. Still, the growth in the number of festivals has increased the number of citywide special events to more than three dozen between now and the end of the year.

Why the changes? The economy, for starters

City officials cited several reasons behind the changes in the summer festival: the downturn in the economy, which has led to uncertainty among potential sponsors, and concerns about safety and security.

The economy is affecting entertainment venues statewide and nationwide. Michael O’Malley, executive director of the Department of Golf, Parks and Recreation, pointed to a recent story in the Wall Street Journal, “Downturn forces communities to put festivals on hold.” The story states that events are being canceled or downsized as local governments, community groups and corporate sponsors pull back their dollars.

Indeed, O’Malley said, the changes in the Taylor festival are driven by the economic conditions. But Taylor is not alone. Sterling Heights, St. Clair Shores and Bath City are among the cities that have canceled fireworks this year. Novi and Utica have canceled festivals. Ann Arbor canceled its Blues and Jazz Festival for the second year in a row due to a lack of sponsorships. The Michigan State Fairs – both the Upper and Lower Peninsulas – are in jeopardy of cancellation. A Detroit News article in February said the Lower Peninsula State Fair has lost up to $1.3 million in a given year.

Nationwide, Cincinnati canceled its Summer Opera Festival due to “budget constraints.” San Francisco canceled its Blues Festival – the nation’s oldest – due to declining sponsorship support.

O’Malley noted there have been announced reductions in other events, including the Detroit Winterfest, while the status of other festivals, including the Southgate Heritage Days and the Detroit Freedom Festival and Fireworks, remains uncertain.

O’Malley, who was appointed to his position last September, said the Taylor festival ran at a deficit of about $50,000 last year after breaking even the previous two years. Last year’s concert ticket revenue was down and less than expected. Overtime costs were up due to safety and security reasons.

Four years ago, the festival had expenses totaling $350,000 and operated at a $125,000 deficit. In 2006, returning Mayor Cameron G. Priebe ordered the expenses sliced to $194,000, while sponsorships increased. The festival broke even in 2006 and 2007. Last year, with a $28,000 decline in sponsorships and a $32,000 dip in concert ticket sales, the event ran at an estimated deficit of $50,000.

Sponsorships are an uncertainty in today’s economy

Taylor’s summer festival and other municipal festivals count on extensive sponsorship from the business community. Many businesses have cut sponsorship funding, which has had a trickle down negative effect on festivals and other events statewide. O’Malley, who used to work in the auto industry, said the General Motors Foundation suspended its distribution of $31 million in sponsorship funds in 2007. According to a Detroit News article in January 2009, the foundation decision has affected such organizations as the Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Michigan Opera Theater and the Music Hall.

Sponsorship in Taylor remains uncertain. However, rather than cancel the summer festival, Taylor officials decided it was important to provide an event for Taylor residents, especially those who may be looking close to home for summer fun this year.

“The festival has always been a terrific event in the community and a source of pride,” said O’Malley, a Taylor native. “But in these general economic conditions, everyone is tightening his or her belts. To spend $50,000 on 20 minutes of fireworks in this economy – plus an equal amount in associated costs – would be feduciarily irresponsible.

“We know this may not be the most popular decision, but we reached it after conducting hundreds of interviews, watching the economy go into decline and weighing all of our options for months.”

Safety and security first

The third factor is safety and security. While the summer festival has drawn more than 100,000 people on past fireworks nights, incidents have been relatively limited for a crowd that size thanks to a large police presence on the festival grounds. However, in the past two years, numerous fights among groups of attendees have led to an increase in arrests. Most of those arrested were residents of other cities. To help curtail problems, public safety expenses increased by $7,000 last year – to $41,000 for the weekend. In addition to Taylor police and the all-volunteer Taylor Auxiliary Police force, the city receives assistance from the Michigan State Police, the Wayne County Sheriff’s Department and undercover officers from the Downriver Area Narcotics Organization. Allen Park and Southgate police are among those helping with traffic control.

In addition, neighborhoods close to the park reported an increase in vandalism by individuals leaving the festival. Furthermore, sponsors told the city they received an increased amount of complaints from attendees about the violence they witnessed.

O’Malley said even police officers and firefighters have expressed “significant concern” about violence, property damage, intimidation, crowd control, traffic control and alcohol-related issues. That, as much as anything else, caused city officials to seek a way to draw a more local community-oriented crowd while offering family-friendly activities in a safe environment.

Crowd control is a major concern, not only on the festival grounds, but in congested neighborhoods. Firefighters say that crowded streets could inhibit rescue operations because emergency vehicles and fire trucks would have difficulty entering neighborhoods.

The downsized summer festival and the elimination of costly components will make the festival more affordable this year. How much more affordable depends on the sponsors that help support the event. O’Malley projected sponsorships are likely to be significantly less. He said several sponsors expressed interest in a more family-oriented and local festival.

“Our goal was to reduce costs to make the event more affordable for the city – and especially for people who are not going on vacation this year and are seeking an affordable weekend,” O’Malley said.

O’Malley said the city could revisit the return of fireworks and expanding the festival next year, assuming the economy improves.

Taylor: A city of special events

Following is a partial list of events scheduled for April through December 2009 in Taylor. The list of more than three dozen events does not include the great church festivals held throughout the summer in the city.

April
4 – Easter Egg Hunt at Heritage Park
4 – Celebrate Spring at the Petting Farm
6 – “Finally Fore” at Lakes of Taylor and Taylor Meadows Golf Clubs
18 – Police-Fire Soccer Game at the Taylor Sportsplex
19 – Par 3 Shootout at Taylor Meadows Golf Club
19 – Walk for Kids at Heritage Park
20 – Garden Party at the Ford Senior Center
24 – Battle of the Bands at the Heritage Park Activity Building
25 – Techno Night at the Heritage Park Activity Building
25 – Bark for Life at Rotary Park

May
1-2 – Spring Ice Show at the Taylor Sportsplex
2 – Health and Fitness Expo at Taylor Recreation Center
2-3 – Whispering Pines Animal Kingdom at the Petting Farm
3 – Fitness Marathon at Heritage Park
9 – Trip to Eastern Market
10 – Mother’s Day at the Heritage Park Petting Farm
16 – Fish ‘n’ Fun Day at Heritage Park
16 – Pet Adoption Day and Animal Clinic at the Taylor Animal Shelter
16 – Veterans Memorial Day to Remember and American Warriors Museum Opening
27 – Health & Fitness Expo at the Ford Senior Center
30-31 – Relay for Life at Heritage Park
Municipal Pools Open for the Season

June
12-14 – Masco Art in the Park at Heritage Park
14 – 12th Annual Women’s Golf Tournament at Taylor Meadows Golf Club
17 – Strawberry Festival Party at the Ford Senior Center
21 – Father’s Day at the Heritage Park Petting Farm

July
11-12 – Taylor Family Festival at Heritage Park
20-31 – Farm Camp at the Heritage Park Petting Farm
25 – Telegraph Cruise
25-26 – Taylor City Golf Tournament at Taylor Meadows and Lakes of Taylor

August
Junior League World Series of Baseball at Heritage Park
All-New Event

September
Turn Off the Violence at Heritage Park
Taste of Taylor

October
Fall Fest at Heritage Park
Whispering Pines Animal Kingdom at the Heritage Park Petting Farm
Boo Barn at the Heritage Park Petting Farm
Safe Halloween at Heritage Park

December
Santa’s Magic Forest at the Heritage Park Activity Building
Reindeer Days at the Heritage Park Petting Farm