SAVE THE TOMATO FESTIVAL

January 26, 2012 | Daily Republic
Save the Tomato Festival
by Kelvin Wade

The plundering of redevelopment agencies bites. The Fairfield Redevelopment Agency provided funds to the Fairfield Main Street Association to sponsor local events such as the Independence Day Parade, Tomato Festival and Christmas event. I’m not saying the other events the FMSA puts on aren’t worth saving, but the Tomato Festival must be saved.

In 2010, we didn’t have a Christmas tree for the downtown Christmas event. While I give the Fairfield Main Street Association props for trying to make do with meager resources, it was a huge letdown for the event.

The Tomato Festival should be Fairfield’s marquee event. It brings Fairfielders downtown who don’t normally shop downtown and is a boon to local businesses. It brings visitors here who spend money. It helps promote the city’s image, an image that has needed burnishing.

When you hear the name Gilroy, I’m willing to bet the words that pop into your head next are “Garlic Festival.” Granted their festival has been in existence 13 years longer than ours, but their three-day event brought in 109,067 people. This year’s Garlic Festival is featuring entertainment such as Little Texas and Smash Mouth.

Gilroy’s festival is sponsored by Raley’s and is run by an army of 4,000 volunteers.

Stockton’s Asparagus Festival has also been around 13 years longer than ours, but last year’s festival brought 103,000 people and raised more than $350,000 for local Stockton charities. The festival is sponsored by dozens of area businesses. An aggressive marketing team sells naming rights to venues and events. And thousands of volunteers are provided through more than 100 nonprofit groups.

This successful marriage of business and nonprofit sponsorship could be a model for our festival. One needs to look no further than last year’s Candy Festival to see an example of it working.

We’ll obviously need some paid events during the festival. I can remember some complaints when “Tomato Alley” at the festival charged a $2 admission fee. Really? This is reality. Some things are probably going to have to cost a nominal fee or donation to a local charity. The festival has encouraged a donation of canned goods in the past. That’s always welcome.

We could have attractions that charge a fee. Last October, the Alameda County Fairgrounds hosted Tomato Battle. Two thousand people actually paid $60 each to participate in a massive tomato fight. We wouldn’t have to charge that much, but the home of the Tomato Festival should have that kind of paying attraction.

We’d planned to do just that in 2005 until the sponsorship fell through. Perhaps we can find a local power-washing company that would demonstrate its products and service by cleaning up the aftermath of the battle.

The Tomato Festival is Fairfield’s chance to show all the positive things going on in the community. It’s a two-day commercial for our city and we can’t give that up.

Through business and nonprofit partnerships, naming rights and volunteers we can put on our marquee event. Maybe we could have local Scouting groups, lodges, churches and others do Adopt-a-Festival-type co-fundraisers. We need to think outside the box to save our festival. Peace.

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Additional Notes: I realize the city doesn't have money. Who does? But there are some things worth saving. This is an event that can potentially reap great PR for Fairfield. And we need it because the bad guys who regularly sully Fairfield with bad news aren't going anywhere. It's a city that can use good news. Now I don't know all the ins and outs of putting on something of this scale especially on a shoestring budget but if the community wants it, I think the community can do it. If not, then the festival will flame out and that will be that.