The Place Where Ludington Talks

Should we give it up for the Jaycee's or should the Jaycee's give it up?

I think that the Jaycees should completely remove themselves from the fireworks business.

While the display this year was entertaining and I appreciate its shorten format I get tired of hearing the same refrain from the JC's year after year that we don't have the money and are short of funds.

I believe that they Ludington Jaycees should shop whatever rights they have to the fireworks to a corporate sponsor much like ballparks are named . That would free them from the burden of having to annually panhandle raise the funds for the event, and they could instead focus of the the parade and mini golf. It would also free up the funds for the parade entrance fee for new uses and we wouldn't have to listen about how much time they spend collecting the firework funds each year.

It also strikes me as strange that they haven't increased the amount they collect for this for a while now. The same $20,000 for the last 20 years or so it seems.

In Traverse City they had the same problem raising money each year, I believe the VFW was in charge. In 2011 they switched funding to a non profit club where different levels of membership brought you different levels of of perks in a reserved area to watch the event. Since then they have no problems with funding, indeed the seats are coveted. Also they went from raising $25,000 to $45,000 in 5 years.

http://www.9and10news.com/Global/story.asp?S=15761359

http://www.tcboomboom.org/contributions-levels

Since the Ludington JC's are incapable of thinking outside of the box for fund raising it is time for them to pass the punk torch. Maybe they should turn the event over to the Lake Michigan Carferry whom already profit from the event, or the HOF or OXY chem. Or they should do like they did in TC and turn it over to some group with fresh ideas instead of the stale status quo.

No Ludington Jaycee's it is time to give it up. Time we move on.

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Permalink Reply by Willy on July 8, 2016 at 1:18pm

I think the Traverse City method of raising fireworks money is an excellent idea. Ludington's Jaycees could easily raise enough to cover the cost of the fireworks and probably have a lot left over.

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Permalink Reply by AQUAMAN on July 8, 2016 at 2:04pm

I too have to agree shinblind and Willy, TC seems to be on track with their new idea and sponsor. If they get that positive a result, it can't hurt for them to visit here and analyze our problem.

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Permalink Reply by XLFD on July 10, 2016 at 10:50am

Good ideas, shinblind. The more I talk with current members of the Jaycees, the more frustrated I get that they have fallen from the Jaycee credo. They have no problem getting $45,000 from the State of Michigan for their mini-golf improvements, and seem happy that their local competition, a private organization, folded in large part because of their benison and their help from the extreme negligence of the City of Ludington making the likelihood of a two year sh*tbomb from the WWTP create a hostile business environment for them.

That same government unit undoubtedly shopped the idea to get the state funds in the first place to the Jaycees to create an anti-competitive climate in Ludington, so all those tourists who came to Ludington to enjoy our mini-golf facilities now need to go to Pentwater for this year and enjoy only public-funded putt-putts in the future. Freedom Festival? More like a Socialism Spectacle.