Politics & Government
University Place Festival Will Help The City Celebrate Its Sweet 16
Organizers say the best part of the Aug. 6 event is its entirely volunteer and community supported.
Organizers behind University Place’s 16th birthday party say it’s going to be the sweetest for a number of reasons.
The University Place Festival – which takes place Aug. 6 at Cirque-Bridgeport Park – will feature an array of bands and businesses. Partygoers will be able to join a professional soccer clinic, attend a car show, savor local food fare, sing karaoke, even sip a cold one in a beer garden.
But perhaps what organizers are most excited about is this year’s festival is entirely community and volunteer supported, everything from marketing to setup and cleanup to wiring the park for electricity.
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They even created the festival’s own grassroots mascot – a beaming sun aptly named “UP.”
On Monday night, the group offered the University Place City Council a preview of what the community can expect come the first Saturday in August, when the festival’s leaders hope to attract some 2,500 people to the park.
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And Councilwoman Denise McCluskey, who organizers say was the main factor in making this year’s festival a reality, said that residents will be able to enjoy the University Place Festival for free knowing that it wasn’t covered with tax dollars.
For a cash-strapped city, that’s a good thing, she said.
“It’s like having sugar-free chocolate,” McCluskey joked. “This is a tripod approach so that it will hopefully last for years to come.”
The tripod approach involves three parts – the city, residents and the Tacoma Events Commission.
This is the first year that the latter has been involved with UP Fest. Doug Miller, executive director for the nonprofit events production group, said the big party will offer parking at the park facility, the Central Church on the Hill and Drum Intermediate.
Keep an eye on University Place Patch over the next few weeks for information on the University Place Festival’s offerings and happenings.
Here is some more information
WHAT: University Place Festival 2011
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Saturday, Aug. 6
WHERE: Cirque-Bridgeport Park, 7250 Cirque Dr. W.
Links
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