The fireworks show will go on.
Despite rising costs and declining corporate sponsorship the last few years, Tacoma Freedom Fair organizers say the event is expanding this year to include a gala dinner and a car, motorcycle and aircraft show in the days leading up to July 4.
“We wanted to (provide more activities) to serve the community in ways we weren’t able to accomplish in a one-day event,” said Doug Miller, executive director of the nonprofit Tacoma Events Commission.
Freedom Fair has been a mainstay in Tacoma for decades. It’s free to the public and typically draws tens of thousands of people to the Ruston Way waterfront to celebrate Independence Day with food, music, fireworks and an air show over Commencement Bay.
But it’s not cheap to put on, running between $250,000 and $300,000, not counting hundreds of thousands in in-kind donations, Miller said. About half the cash comes from corporate sponsorship, and that source has been hit hard by the recession, he said.
The last few years, “we’ve had to pare back and tighten our belts,” staging the event for closer to $200,000 or $220,000, Miller said.
Organizers have reached out to the public for help, placing donation stations at the main entrances the last few years and again this summer.
They’re also trying to diversify. The two new Freedom Fair events will double as fundraisers.
One sponsor is stepping up its contribution this year. The Puyallup Tribe announced Thursday that it’s giving $50,000, more than double what it gave the last few years.
“We know how tough it is for these things to survive,” said John Weymer, tribe spokesman. “(The fair) is a good thing for Tacoma.”
Tickets for the dinner gala and the Wings and Wheels show are on sale. The events tie in to the fair’s theme this year: celebrating the centennial of the U.S. Navy’s aviation program.
The gala will include music, dancing, awards and a nod to the late Admiral James S. Russell, a Tacoma native and decorated Navy pilot.
The new Wings and Wheels vehicle and aircraft show at Tacoma Narrows Airport in Gig Harbor will have attractions ranging from an Indy racecar display to helicopter and plane rides. People can also mingle with the pilots who’ll perform at the July 4 air show.
In addition, Freedom Fair is piggybacking on the regularly scheduled Tacoma Rainiers game July 1. It will include fireworks, military displays and a presentation recognizing the aviation centennial.
People and businesses can buy blocks of tickets that the Tacoma Events Commission will give to service members and families.
“It’s going to be a great community event,” said Carole Lail, chairwoman of the commission’s board. “I think there’s literally something for everybody this year.”
Sara Schilling: 253-552-7058
sara.schilling@thenewstribune.com
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