Lake Union 4th of July fireworks display canceled
SEATTLE -- A longtime Seattle Fourth of July tradition will be silenced this summer, possibly leaving the city with no fireworks display on Independence Day.
One Reel, the non-profit organizers for the annual Family 4th at Lake Union fireworks display at Gas Works Park, says the show has been canceled for 2010 due to a lack of sponsor.
"For the past 15 months, One Reel has worked tirelessly to secure a title sponsor for the 2010 Family 4th at Lake Union but, regrettably, we were not able to secure one in time to proceed with this year's event," Tomoko Moriguchi Matsuno, the president of One Reel Board of Directors, said in a statement released to the media.
Seattle-based bank Washington Mutual had been the sponsor of the show for eight years before it collapsed in 2008. Chase, which absorbed Washington Mutual, agreed to sponsor the show for one year.
OneReel says to be a prime sponsor of the event, the cost is around $500,000. Organizers say they are still hopeful a sponsor can be signed for 2011 and beyond.
The cancelation leaves Seattle without a major fireworks display on the Fourth of July for the first time in decades. Last summer, Ivar's canceled their annual "Fourth of Jul-Ivar's" celebration that was held in Elliott Bay along Seattle's Myrtle Edwards Beach and said they would instead use the money to help those in need.
An Ivar's spokesperson said they would be sticking with that plan for 2010.
One Reel, the non-profit organizers for the annual Family 4th at Lake Union fireworks display at Gas Works Park, says the show has been canceled for 2010 due to a lack of sponsor.
"For the past 15 months, One Reel has worked tirelessly to secure a title sponsor for the 2010 Family 4th at Lake Union but, regrettably, we were not able to secure one in time to proceed with this year's event," Tomoko Moriguchi Matsuno, the president of One Reel Board of Directors, said in a statement released to the media.
Seattle-based bank Washington Mutual had been the sponsor of the show for eight years before it collapsed in 2008. Chase, which absorbed Washington Mutual, agreed to sponsor the show for one year.
OneReel says to be a prime sponsor of the event, the cost is around $500,000. Organizers say they are still hopeful a sponsor can be signed for 2011 and beyond.
The cancelation leaves Seattle without a major fireworks display on the Fourth of July for the first time in decades. Last summer, Ivar's canceled their annual "Fourth of Jul-Ivar's" celebration that was held in Elliott Bay along Seattle's Myrtle Edwards Beach and said they would instead use the money to help those in need.
An Ivar's spokesperson said they would be sticking with that plan for 2010.