Please mark your calendar. This year’s College Park Day is set for 11 am to 4 pm on Saturday, OCTOBER 7, 2017 at the College Park Aviation Museum.
At tomorrow’s meeting, the Council will get a staff report of College Park Day and discuss how to improve this most important showcase event. It began in 2009 to highlight residents, businesses and community groups in the City of College Park and “to celebrate everything that the City has to offer.”
Part of the inspiration came from the Taste of College Park, an event held in the mid-2000s. When College Park Day first launched, attendance was only a couple hundred people, but now about 4,000 people attend. In 2016, College Park Day relocated to the College Park Aviation Museum and Airport.
The Museum offered attendees free entry, and it had about 1,200 guests that day. The Metro garage and the County-owned parking lot near the Metro have been used for attendee parking. Last year’s event featured two stages of live music, a kids area with inflatables and a climbing wall, fitness activities, health classes, and visiting mascots.
There were 163 exhibitors, including 5 civic associations, 6 government organizations, 5 public safety organizations, 8 University of Maryland groups, 12 community organizations, 11 restaurants, and 13 food/beverage vendors. Exhibitors and vendors do not pay a fee to attend or sell.
The total expenditures for 2016 were $54,847.67. Twenty-one businesses sponsored the event, with sponsorships ranging from $5,000 for the Presenting Sponsor, to in-kind sponsorships. Most sponsorships were in the $500 to $1,000 range, and a total of $20,500 was raised.
Many surrounding communities hold similar events, with and without outside sponsorships. Denise Seifried, the City’s contractor for event planning and operations is expected to be at the meeting.