What Happened to Summerfest?

short answer: Karma

opinionated answer: greed.


Tomorrow is the first weekend in August. For the last three or four years, this has meant Summerfest for Brown County; for Mt. Orab.

Big name (once upon a time) entertainers, as the culmination of a summer's worth of free "Music in the Park" concerts.
A celebration of selling and crafts and community. Many of our local businesses were proud to be sponsors and do their part in creating this wonderful time.
A gathering of friends and neighbors meeting greeting and enjoying one last big thing before cool weather and school schedules and the slo-mo rush into the holidays.

The owners of Georgetown Rent-2-Own even moved their traditional back-to-school bash to the Mt Orab park, because they would be able to reach more of their neighbors, friends, and customer base. For many years they have been doing this giving back, and they did it in a big way. (Because that's how we do things here in the country.)

in 2013

last Georgetown bash

The weather was good, the friendliness was fun, and , hey, we would all run into old friends or maybe make some new ones.

The second year of the Bash being in the park, the Powers-That-Be decided that after a certain time, the bounce houses and other attractions would need to be paid for. Those collecting giveaway school supplies could eat and play until noon, which was the somewhat liquid cutoff for collecting the supplies.
Okay, this was a little different, but maybe it was fair enough. Parents and families do realize that bounce houses cost, the electric to run the fans cost, etc. Once the supplies have been picked up, and the kids have played a while, if one doesn't have the money, one can leave, or at least look around elsewhere.
It was kind of a drag, but the children who were dragged out at 8 or 9 am to go get notebooks and a hot dog were usually readily coaxed onto new and other interests.

Last year, a new "player" enetered the field. Mt. Orab Auto Mall declared itself to be THE sponsor of Summerfest, with a little help from those nice little humdrum everyday neighborhood businesses.

And the first thing we, the humble but poor citizens knew, a decision had been made to CHARGE ADMISSION to our super great summer fantastic wonderful free community event.

Huh? This humongous "SuperBusiness"  which considered itself the great savior of commerce in Mt. Orab signed up to provide an influx of cash -- and the first thing we hear is that our free party will now have a fee!

EVEN THE FREE GIVEAWAY had to pay admission fees.
(Some of us held out a hope that it would be as the year before; fees after a certain time, but No. To enter the free public neighborhood park where the giveaway was being held, one had to pay admission.)
To Get into a FREE public park.
To collect FREE school supplies.

Now, if youre a parent struggling to buy notebooks and folders -- and at back-to-school prices! -- it seems reasonable that IF you have the money you may as well go buy the stuff, doesn't it? Especially if you have many children.  You could even do so without the carnival atmosphere and prices and being out in the heat all day long. Shop in air conditioned storesc, maybe even without the whiny, hungry, thirsty, bored children along.


Is it any surprise that this year has seen fewer (if any) commercial sponsors?
Is it any surprise that out local businesses, who together made other Summerfests happen, don't want to have their efforts minimized?
Is it any surprise that they don't want to be shoved aside by Outsiders with more money? (And fewer local ties?)
Is it any surprise that no one arranged entertainment such as we have become used to?

Is it any surprise that this year's "Summerfest" has become "Buy local Brown County Day?
Is it any surprise that the evening before the "Big Day" there is one booth set up in the park, and one flatbed by the bandstand?
No rows of booths, tents, campers.
No food trucks.
No coolers.
No bounce houses awaiting inflation.

Is it ANY surprise? 

Public Park, Back-to-School Bash, and Summerfest

It's summer time, and time for the summer fun. It's August, too, which means summer is winding down.

Take your kids out and spend the day at the community park here in Mt.Orab. It has playgrounds (one for 2 and under, one for 2 and up), basketball courts, picnic tables, a shelter, trees, and grass. And bathrooms nearby. They have concerts throughout the summer. Music in the Park. Bring your lawn chairs.

For many years, Rent-2-Own in Georgetown had sponsored an all day back-to-school bash in August. They made a festival of it, with food and bounce houses and free school supplies. (I believe it ran from 10 until 3 or 4, but I'm not certain. Most of the hot August afternoon, with waterslides and a sprinkler cave among the bouncies.)

A community project; a way to help; a way to 'payback'; a way to make a difference

I don't know how long R2O had been doing this when my granddaughter started school. If they did it when my girls went to school, I never heard of it. If it existed then, it was kept low-key. (maybe customers only? I honestly don't know.) By the time Hailey was school age, though, it was touted in the local papers as one of the annual events of the season.

Three years ago, Brown County decided to have a "Summerfest" It would be a big ol' sponsored summer festival like every town every where used to have before lawsuits and insurance and the entitlement to have "fun" with no responsibility and no accountability took over the world.
Vendors could set up booths.
There could be car shows.
There would be concerts.  Big name concerts.

And it would all be wonderfully free for the public; for the citizens of town and county and as many neighbors as could be drawn in.

There would be entrance fees for EVENTS. There would be fees for vendors. For the concerts, they would even create special seating areas that could be paid for ahead of time.

And there would be sponsors. Local businesses would do their part in underwriting and sharing expenses for this great community service. Sharing cost, building a reputation, and the tax write-offs all made this a winning proposition.

The Back-to-School Bash was moved to this venue. It was, to the public, a good fit.
The goals were the same; the reasons were the same; the feeling was the same, plus so much more.


The second year, after the back-to-school products had been distributed and that part of the day was done (the giveaway was 9 - noon), the organizers of the fest imposed an additional charge for the bounce houses. You know, the ones set up in the PUBLIC COMMUNITY PARK? The ones that have been provided free for however many years, at a PRIVATELY OWNED location?

Okay. Unfair, disgusting, and outrageous, but easily avoided.
Take the kids early, leave early, and let them do without your business in all other aspects of the fantastic "free" summerfest.


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This year Summerfest is NOT free.
It will still be held at the community park.
In fact, you will NOT be allowed to enter YOUR public park without paying an entry fee.

Guess what, folks.
You wont even be allowed to go wait an hour in line with your cranky, sleepy, hot, and hungry children (school children MUST be present) to pick up your FREE back-to-school bundles without paying an entry fee. 

(Ah, for the good old days, just 3 years ago, when one could show up at lunch time, after the children awoke and were just beginning to get bored.)

No, it isn't a huge amount of money. That's not the point.

Two FREE events are no longer free.

OUR OWN PUBLIC PARK will not be free that weekend.


The organizers mouth the tired old line about expenses and losses and all that crap. What, the businesses don't want the tax credit anymore? The local businesses no longer want to build ties to the community?

If that's the case, and if they want to turn this event into a moneymaker (a money-getter) instead of a public service (money-giver), they certainly have that right.
On private property.

Not in a public park where kids have been going to play for however many years on their weekends.

Everyone is excited about the fest, the events and concerts and whatever else.
Everyone, that is, except the families who will have to stay home because they can't afford to go to the festival AND -- whatever else they need to do. Eat? Drink? Stay cool? Put gas in vehicles? Add more to their school supply lists?

Why?
Just tell me why.