KATHLEEN MERRYMAN; THE NEWS TRIBUNE I still feel guilty about not dropping a few more dollars on boarding passes and souvenirs at the Tall Ships festival this summer.
Had I been more profligate with my plastic, I might have reduced the shock to organizers when the blue seas event ended in the red.
They were braced for a small hit from gray skies during the opening Parade of Sail. But the $500,000 they owed creditors last month was a punch to the gut for volunteers who pulled off one of the finest, funnest festivals Tacoma has ever seen.
It had ships, merchants, pirates, food and plenty of planks to walk, thanks to 2,000-plus volunteers.
It also had a $19 million economic impact on Pierce County, according to a study conducted for Pierce County by Birchhill Enterprises.
The study operated on the standard model used to calculate the economic impact of festivals nationwide. At its heart were interviews with a sample of 517 people who shared their age, income, how they’d gotten to the festival, where they were from, why they’d come and how much time and money they planned to spend at the festival and around town.
The survey found that people who came from 50 or more miles away spent a total of $6.8 million. If you factor in a “universal multiplier” the impact rises to $10.2 million. If you count locals, spending goes up to $12.8 million, with an impact of $19.2 million.
I’m suspicious of polls and statistics in general and 517 speaking for 300,000 in particular.
But I know I dropped dollars at Tall Ships that would otherwise have stayed in my checking account. A friend from California bought a $200 piano stool on Antique Row and dropped another $300 at the mall. So I’m willing to stipulate that people who came to Tall Ships left with less money and the idea that they’d like to see more of Tacoma.
We owe that to the volunteers, including organizers who lobbied the state Legislature for $1 million in Foss Waterway improvements. Union members donated labor, and many of the materials, to add $1.5 million to $2 million worth of infrastructure to the Foss. If you want to walk on a stretch of Tall Ships legacy, stroll the new docks in front of the Foss Waterway Seaport and Dock Street offices and restaurant.
They have every right to be proud of what they put together for the 300,000 or so people who came to the free festival.
Free, it turned out, was the problem.
Tall Ships was the star of Staycation Summer. Financially crunched families could find free parking, and ride a free shuttle bus to three free venues.
Victoria’s festival charged $5 a person, and ended in the black. Tacoma organizers had counted on visitors buying boarding passes to walk the decks of the Bounty, the Niña, the Kia Ora and two dozen other ships, or booking passage for a dinner cruise or a battle sail. Instead, people lined up to see U.S. Coast Guard barque Eagle for free, then enjoyed a mile of free entertainment.
Though expenses came in below budget, the sales failure left Tall Ships Tacoma owing $500,000 to the businesses that had provided it with goods and services. The vendors were understandably steamed.
Since then, the festival has managed to pay off about 20 percent of the debt and creditors, said volunteer co-chairman Stan Selden. They’ve done it by collecting on accounts receivable and bringing in donations. That still leaves 80 percent of the creditors out there, justifiably steamed.
Organizers have met with the people to whom the festival owes money. They intend to honor their debts. They meet weekly to work on a plan.
This weekend, they’ll be at Maritime Fest on the Foss Waterway, running a sale on Tall Ships merchandise. They can also accept tax-deductible donations. Every dollar they take in at that booth is a dollar they can pay back to a local business.
I feel some Christmas shopping coming on.
Kathleen Merryman: 253-597-8677
kathleen.merryman@thenewstribune.com
MARITIME FESTIVAL
What: A free celebration of Tacoma’s working waterfront
When: Today-Sunday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Where: Thea Foss Waterway, Port of Tacoma
