Results 1 to 13 of 13

Thread: Independence Day Celebration

  1. #1
    Member gorja's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Lancaster, NY
    Posts
    13,150

    Independence Day Celebration

    On one social network site, there are people fuming about the lack of a carnival for the kids for the July 4th celebration.
    They're also expressing their dissatisfaction that there will be a beer tent for the adults every night but no carnival.



    But really, what can the event planners do with the construction at that time?

    Georgia L Schlager

  2. #2
    Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    233
    Quote Originally Posted by gorja View Post
    On one social network site, there are people fuming about the lack of a carnival for the kids for the July 4th celebration.
    They're also expressing their dissatisfaction that there will be a beer tent for the adults every night but no carnival.



    But really, what can the event planners do with the construction at that time?
    I think the bigger deal was not having an event coordinator in place to work alongside and then replace Dawn. The Independence Day event takes a lot of planning a year or more in advance.

    I agree that the construction would make it hard to have the whole celebration downtown but there are alternatives that could work in a pinch for a year or two.... Como Park, Keysa Park, local school grounds, etc. None of them are perfect but the change could've highlighted all the wonderful work going on downtown.

    It also brings up the issue of moving forward with events in downtown after the construction is done. After attending a couple of meetings with the designers it doesn't appear that space for community events was a priority and not figured into the mix. I suppose, other than July 4th, are any other events big enough to warrant the space needed?

    All in all, you can count me in with the others that will miss the family friendly atmosphere of the carnival...

    Matt

  3. #3
    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Posts
    5,299
    Quote Originally Posted by MaddMatt View Post
    I agree that the construction would make it hard to have the whole celebration downtown but there are alternatives that could work in a pinch for a year or two.... Keysa Park,
    In know that the scope and size of the event has grown, but that site worked from 1969-1975 Matt.
    LIDA Member Rinow to Member Ruda: You were a sitting Trustee on the Board. Did you help support Mr. Sweeney getting a seat on the CDC Board?"

  4. #4
    Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    233
    Mark,

    Yep! Back then there were rec tournaments going on as well, from the stories I recall hearing (I'm much too young to remember, obviously).

    Keysa Park would be an interesting option again. Shuttles from downtown and nearby parking lots could help alleviate parking concerns. It would also give the "walking community" theory a good test since it is right in the middle of the village and most residents are within 1 mile of the park.

    Overcoming the Negative Nellies:

    Size: If the google maps measurement tool is accurate, there is actually more space on the two fields in Keysa Park than in downtown Lancaster. And that doesn't include the skating park, swimming pool, wading pool, basketball courts or parking lot!

    Houses are too close: Since it backs up on 3 sides to the commercial park, railroad tracks and an empty field, there are actually less residents nearby that would be affected by the late night music and noise. The residents directly across from the park could be given special passes to allow access to the street in front of their houses.

    Carnival Rides don't work on grass, they need pavement: Lots of lawn fete's are held each year in WNY on, well, lawns so that's not an issue the ride companies haven't dealt with in the past. Grass is also cooler and safer to walk on.

    Safety in an enclosed area: Since there is basically only 1 road in (Vanderbuilt), traffic is easily controlled in the area and for safety's sake, ingress and egress could be controlled through a central area if needed.


    Add in the skate park, basketball courts and swimming/wading pool and maybe there are even more options for free entertainment for families! It would be fun to have foul shooting, 3-point contests, swimming lap races and more as part of the entertainment and to showcase our town park's offerings. It could also give additional options for business sponsorships & prizes.

    The only small issue I see is that it is a town park but a village event... in the spirit of inter-municipal cooperation, I'm sure the details of who pays for what could be worked out.

    It is too late to get rides in for this year as everyone will be booked already but moving forward, I hope it's an idea that is considered to keep the tradition of the village carnival alive and well!

    Matt

  5. #5
    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Posts
    5,299
    Quote Originally Posted by MaddMatt View Post
    Mark,

    Yep! Back then there were rec tournaments going on as well, from the stories I recall hearing (I'm much too young to remember, obviously).

    Keysa Park would be an interesting option again. Shuttles from downtown and nearby parking lots could help alleviate parking concerns. It would also give the "walking community" theory a good test since it is right in the middle of the village and most residents are within 1 mile of the park.


    Matt
    Matt, your older brother "Rard" whom I knew pretty well in HS will certainly remember it. I vividly recall the 1972 celebration. I had a bunch of our mutual friends over because of the closeness of what at the time had just become Keysa Park from the "Town Park."

    There was a great parade, fireworks, and most impressive was an Air Force flyover. Traffic from the visiting public was kept very well-controlled and orderly; no problems, and that is from a resident with "locational" (my invented word) interest.

    Fond memories, with perhaps more in the making?

    Quote Originally Posted by ;1915783
    The residents directly across from the park could be given special passes to allow access to the street in front of their houses.
    Actually Matt, that was done back in the 1970s. I still have a big "Resident" parking sign which were distributed to the locals.
    Last edited by mark blazejewski; February 19th, 2020 at 01:19 PM.
    LIDA Member Rinow to Member Ruda: You were a sitting Trustee on the Board. Did you help support Mr. Sweeney getting a seat on the CDC Board?"

  6. #6
    Member gorja's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Lancaster, NY
    Posts
    13,150
    [QUOTE=MaddMatt;1915783]Mark,

    Yep! Back then there were rec tournaments going on as well, from the stories I recall hearing (I'm much too young to remember, obviously).

    Keysa Park would be an interesting option again. Shuttles from downtown and nearby parking lots could help alleviate parking concerns. It would also give the "walking community" theory a good test since it is right in the middle of the village and most residents are within 1 mile of the park.

    Overcoming the Negative Nellies:

    Size: If the google maps measurement tool is accurate, there is actually more space on the two fields in Keysa Park than in downtown Lancaster. And that doesn't include the skating park, swimming pool, wading pool, basketball courts or parking lot!

    Houses are too close: Since it backs up on 3 sides to the commercial park, railroad tracks and an empty field, there are actually less residents nearby that would be affected by the late night music and noise. The residents directly across from the park could be given special passes to allow access to the street in front of their houses.

    Carnival Rides don't work on grass, they need pavement: Lots of lawn fete's are held each year in WNY on, well, lawns so that's not an issue the ride companies haven't dealt with in the past. Grass is also cooler and safer to walk on.

    Safety in an enclosed area: Since there is basically only 1 road in (Vanderbuilt), traffic is easily controlled in the area and for safety's sake, ingress and egress could be controlled through a central area if needed.


    Add in the skate park, basketball courts and swimming/wading pool and maybe there are even more options for free entertainment for families! It would be fun to have foul shooting, 3-point contests, swimming lap races and more as part of the entertainment and to showcase our town park's offerings. It could also give additional options for business sponsorships & prizes.

    The only small issue I see is that it is a town park but a village event... in the spirit of inter-municipal cooperation, I'm sure the details of who pays for what could be worked out.

    It is too late to get rides in for this year as everyone will be booked already but moving forward, I hope it's an idea that is considered to keep the tradition of the village carnival alive and well!

    Matt[/QUOTE
    I had heard Keysa park mentioned right after the 2019 4th of July celebration
    I'm surprised no one followed up with it. Some even mentioned using Central Ave as the carnival area. BUT YOUR DESCRIPTION OF THE KEYSA.PARK POSSIBILITIES.AND OFFERINGS SOUNDS BETTER THAN THE PREVIOUS VENUE

    Georgia L Schlager

  7. #7
    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Posts
    5,299
    Quote Originally Posted by gorja View Post

    Matt
    I had heard Keysa park mentioned right after the 2019 4th of July celebration
    I'm surprised no one followed up with it. Some even mentioned using Central Ave as the carnival area. BUT YOUR DESCRIPTION OF THE KEYSA.PARK POSSIBILITIES.AND OFFERINGS SOUNDS BETTER THAN THE PREVIOUS VENUE
    Gorja,

    Please accept my intrusion which is intended to be supportive of your comments.

    I fully understand the magnified visitor participation and the town's population increases, but the Keysa Park location worked out very, very well way back when.

    To the best of my recollection, Broadway was not impacted at all; higher traffic, but minimal disruptions on Central Avenue.

    At that time, the streets surrounding the Park well digested and accommodated the parking. My street was used as a parking area, and for all the years the event took place, I can not recall one incident with a negative impact or consequence on us.

    With that said, Matt is spot on with his suggested remedy to meet the needs of the surrounding locals.

    Ergo, it worked then, and there should be no real reason why it should not work now.

    Just my two cents.
    Last edited by mark blazejewski; February 19th, 2020 at 02:47 PM.
    LIDA Member Rinow to Member Ruda: You were a sitting Trustee on the Board. Did you help support Mr. Sweeney getting a seat on the CDC Board?"

  8. #8
    Tony Fracasso - Admin
    Join Date
    May 2003
    Location
    Buffalo, New York, United States
    Posts
    64,947
    Curious but how much is spent on "fireworks" for this type of event?

  9. #9
    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Posts
    5,299
    I do not have any hard numbers Res, but way back when, the event(s) planners would go door-to-door for contributions, and speaking for myself, we were always happy to contribute.
    LIDA Member Rinow to Member Ruda: You were a sitting Trustee on the Board. Did you help support Mr. Sweeney getting a seat on the CDC Board?"

  10. #10
    Member gorja's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Lancaster, NY
    Posts
    13,150
    Quote Originally Posted by mark blazejewski View Post
    Gorja,

    Please accept my intrusion which is intended to be supportive of your comments.

    I fully understand the magnified visitor participation and the town's population increases, but the Keysa Park location worked out very, very well way back when.

    To the best of my recollection, Broadway was not impacted at all; higher traffic, but minimal disruptions on Central Avenue.

    At that time, the streets surrounding the Park well digested and accommodated the parking. My street was used as a parking area, and for all the years the event took place, I can not recall one incident with a negative impact or consequence on us.

    With that said, Matt is spot on with his suggested remedy to meet the needs of the surrounding locals.

    Ergo, it worked then, and there should be no real reason why it should not work now.

    Just my two cents.
    I agree with it as a future venue. I can't speak to the past.
    I apologize for the capitals in my last post. I was on my lunch and trying to work on payroll when I responded.

    Keysa park just sounds close to perfect for that purpose.

    Georgia L Schlager

  11. #11
    Member gorja's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jan 2007
    Location
    Lancaster, NY
    Posts
    13,150
    Quote Originally Posted by WNYresident View Post
    Curious but how much is spent on "fireworks" for this type of event?
    For the 2017 Independence days, it was $10,000
    The same for 2018.
    Can't find 2019 yet

    Georgia L Schlager

  12. #12
    Member mark blazejewski's Avatar
    Join Date
    Jul 2015
    Posts
    5,299
    Quote Originally Posted by gorja View Post
    For the 2017 Independence days, it was $10,000
    The same for 2018.
    Can't find 2019 yet
    Yikes!
    LIDA Member Rinow to Member Ruda: You were a sitting Trustee on the Board. Did you help support Mr. Sweeney getting a seat on the CDC Board?"

  13. #13
    Member
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Posts
    233
    Quote Originally Posted by gorja View Post
    I agree with it as a future venue. I can't speak to the past.

    Keysa park just sounds close to perfect for that purpose.
    The only issue is that most recently, the events series focused on the central business district as a way to showcase the businesses that have sprung up there. Not all of them were open during the holiday but I've gotta believe there was a benefit to having thousands of people seeing their location and visiting them after the festivals.

    The event has gotten dramatically bigger since the 70's with many more in attendance. Again, I think this would be a great occasion to test the "walk-ability" of our village by encouraging residents to walk or bike there instead of driving. Setup Uber pickup/drop off points for those that need it and budget in a school bus or two that picks up residents from various spots throughout the village.

    I have faith in the mayor and current board that once the dust settles downtown they will come up with a plan that is more family inclusive for 2021. I know they are advertising for a new event coordinator so hopefully that person hits the ground running soon

    Lastly, I just want to thank everyone for keeping this thread positive. It's been nice reading it!

    Matt

Thread Information

Users Browsing this Thread

There are currently 1 users browsing this thread. (0 members and 1 guests)

Similar Threads

  1. July 4th Celebration at Town Park
    By blockclubof1 in forum Cheektowaga, Depew and Sloan Politics
    Replies: 1
    Last Post: November 14th, 2010, 04:27 PM

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •