In The Know with Osceola Chamber-Main Street: The 4th of July Decision

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But first, some background

Before 2018, the 4th of July was organized and manned by volunteers. When those committee members decided to stepdown, the City asked OCMS to step up. It is the largest of all the OCMS events, and planning begins the previous year because contracts for the carnival, fireworks, and entertainment require that much lead time. This event consumes hundreds of collective volunteer hours from our board, promotions committee, and other community members.

OCMS raises all the funds for the 4th of July. Money for the 4th and all OCMS events comes from the pledges made by our local businesses. The resource campaign begins in October and ends in December. OCMS membership dues do not begin to cover the events. Membership pays for the day-to-day operations while pledges for event sponsorship form the budget for each event. Event sponsorship pledges are invoiced right before the event or immediately afterwards.

And then there was Covid-19

Determining what businesses, towns and organizations may or may not be allowed to do one week ahead is not easy to guess, but one month to eight months out is impossible. OCMS follows the mandates and guidelines the state provides. One after another, OCMS events were cancelled or postponed.

The Decision

Although the questions about the 4th of July began well ahead of the May 19th cancellation notice, it was an agonizing decision. The Governor’s current proclamation, which allows gathering of only 10, with all the social distancing rules expires May 27th. It is highly doubtful her next proclamation will go from 10 people to thousands, which is what Osceola draws for the 4th.

Chamber-Main Street staff and board know very well how important the 4th of July celebration is for Osceola. We understand the economic impact this will have on the non-profits who raise funds for their operations and projects. Cancelling, however, was the right thing to do for the safety of our community, staff and volunteers. It may also give some of the entertainment a chance to book something else.

OCMS wants to have something for the community, and the only practical choice to comply with social distancing and event guidelines through the Governor’s proclamation was the firework display, as this can be seen from almost everywhere in the county.  

Points of Consideration:

1. Reduced sponsorship amounts as businesses have been negatively impacted by Covid-19
2. Potential consumer fear to gather in large groups
3. Planning, infrastructure, and advertising expense that cannot be recovered if the event does not take place
4. Potential difficulty recruiting volunteers because of safety concerns
5. City staff still under social distancing and work from home protocols

Another factor is the Chamber’s extensive role and extra expenses incurred in helping the community and local businesses to recover and rebound from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak.

Moving forward, OCMS will continue to support our local businesses and encourages the community to continue to join us in these efforts. As always, the absolute best way to reach us is through email, a phone call or private Facebook message. Public social media discourse with misinformation confuses people and is not helpful. “We appreciate everyone who has reached out to us to offer support and all the great things our community and business members are doing to get through this together. “- Ashleigh Eckels, Executive Director Osceola Chamber-Main Street