Originally published April 1, 2010 at 5:47 PM | Page modified April 2, 2010 at 8:32 AM
Comments (129) E-mail article Print view Share
Donors, big and small, fired up to save Fourth
An 11th-hour radio campaign to save Seattle's Independence Day fireworks show at Lake Union gained some serious traction Thursday evening when Starbucks and Microsoft each pledged to chip in up to $125,000 and Vulcan pledged $50,000.
Seattle Times staff reporter
An 11th-hour radio campaign to save Seattle's Independence Day fireworks show at Gas Works Park was close to succeeding Thursday evening after Starbucks and Microsoft each pledged to chip in up to $125,000.
Just one day earlier, it appeared the Family 4th at Lake Union was dead after One Reel, the nonprofit that has run the show for more than two decades, announced it had failed to find a title sponsor to cover the $500,000 cost and was canceling this year's show.
But Thursday morning, 97.3 KIRO FM radio host Dave Ross, along with restaurateur and One Reel board member Tom Douglas, launched what they say was an unplanned campaign to save the fireworks.
Douglas pledged $5,000 and challenged other small-business owners to kick in money. Ross pledged $1,000.
The idea struck a chord with many in the community. By 5 p.m., KIRO said business owners had pledged $79,000. But then came the big news: Starbucks and Microsoft would match all donations up to a combined maximum of $250,000.
Just after 8 p.m., Paul Allen's Vulcan announced it would kick in $50,000.
By 10 p.m., pledges (including the full matches) had reached nearly $450,000 — leaving only about $50,000 still needed to save the event.
"I think we can guarantee this thing," Ross said on the radio after the Starbucks and Microsoft announcement.
In an interview, Ross said he used to enjoy going to fireworks shows when his children were younger but hasn't been to many shows recently.
"It's not just personal, but a feeling that a city the size of Seattle ought to have a fireworks show," he said.
Douglas said that, as a board member, he knew in advance the show was going to be canceled and "it wasn't sitting well with me."
"As I was listening to Dave talking, it struck me that we can't just let it pass," Douglas said. "We ran with it immediately, and it was very exciting."
The donations just kept coming: $3,000 from Red Mill Burgers, $10,000 from Seattle Bank, $1,000 from Paddy Coyne's Irish Pubs, $25,000 from Nordstrom. For those wanting to donate less than $1,000, One Reel set up a donation function on the Web site www.family4th.org.
One Reel spokeswoman Mikhael Mei Williams said she was "stunned" by the reaction.
"It wasn't anything we anticipated," Williams said. "If the community rallies behind this and meets the goal, then, for sure, One Reel is on board with doing it."
Williams said the organization needs to know by the end of the day Monday whether there is enough money pledged for the show to continue in order to meet organizational timetables.
Williams had earlier said that putting on a scaled-back event for less money was not an option, given that much of the costs are tied up in items such as insurance and barges. She said the fireworks themselves account for perhaps $150,000 of the total cost.
In a statement, Microsoft spokeswoman Karen Bergin said, "We had been talking internally about how we could help with this situation, and had decided that a coalition of local businesses made the most sense. So joining up with Starbucks and the Tom Douglas effort was a natural fit."
Vulcan spokesman David Postman said Allen hoped the contribution would inspire others to give.
"The donation was approved very quickly by Paul and company CEO Jody Allen once the request was put to them," Postman said.
Starbucks spokeswoman Stacey Krum said the organization had been approached earlier by One Reel to be the title sponsor.
"I think we had conversations with them, like a lot of companies did," she said. "But the full sponsorship didn't work for us."
But when the grass-roots campaign got going Thursday, and Douglas called Starbucks asking for help, Krum said, there was lots of enthusiasm in the company.
"It was absolutely organic and spontaneous," she said. "Sometimes it's the spontaneous efforts that really get the attention and momentum."
Nick Perry: 206-515-5639 or nperry@seattletimes.com
E-mail article Print view Share
NEW - 8:02 PM
Danny Westneat: A week that showed our character
UPDATE - 7:59 PM
Garbage workers back off threats of a strike
NEW - 7:33 PM
In Sultan, how to handle the homeless is source of tension
NEW - 8:04 PM
Inquiries begin in Tesoro refinery explosion
Entertainment | Top Video | World | Offbeat Video | Sci-Tech
general classifieds
Garage & estate salesFurniture & home furnishings
Sporting goods
just listed
1988 Reinell 170 Bowrider - $4950
2-section Pregnancy (Maternity, Prenatal) Portable - $299
3-Section Portable Pregnancy Materninty Prenatal M - $349
More listings
POST A FREE LISTING
shopping
Designtheory offers 'affordable luxury' with ancient to modern jewelry and art
More daily find
events for Saturday, Apr. 3
- Zovo's 5th Annual Bra Event
- Greater Seattle Vintage Guitar Show
- Ninth Annual Recycled Art and Fashion Show
- Oslo's Annual Denim Sale
editors' picks
- Phinney Ridge & Greenwood shopping
- Independent bookstores
- Independent video stores
- Garden furnishings
- Five dead in Anacortes refinery explosion and fire
- Three injured in collapse of building facade in Seattle | The Blotter
- Big storm cuts power, shuts I-90, closes athletic fields
- Donors save Seattle's Fourth of July fireworks
- Dave Grosby leaving KJR-AM, moving to 710 ESPN
- Bank president fired over spring-break plans
- Police: Man shoots Seattle neighbor in head
- Unusually stormy weather headed this way Friday
- Mariners don't look better than third place to me...for now | Mariners Blog
- Kathryn Powell, who 'loved her job,' dies of injuries from refinery fire
- Garbage haulers slam company's final offer 458
- Mariners don't look better than third place to me...for now 413
- Gov. Gregoire gets letter from anti-government group telling her to leave office or be removed 166
- Dave Grosby leaving KJR-AM 120
- Florida doctor notifies Obama supporters to go elsewhere for care 102
- Garbage workers back off threats of a strike 90
- Police: Man shoots Seattle neighbor in head 77
- Asked to declare his race for census, Obama checks 'black' 62
- State schools superintendent Randy Dorn pleads guilty to drunken-driving charge 50
- Burger King 'crazy' ad offends mental-health advocates 45
- Five dead in Anacortes refinery explosion and fire
- Donors save Seattle's Fourth of July fireworks
- Recipe: Caribbean Shrimp Soup
- Three injured in collapse of building facade in Seattle | The Blotter
- Donors, big and small, fired up to save Fourth
- Unusually stormy weather headed this way Friday
- Big storm cuts power, shuts I-90, closes athletic fields
- D.I.Y. downtown: A self-guided tour through Seattle history
- Washington 'a step ahead' of health law
- State wants you to claim your cash