2009 Celebration of Light will go ahead as planned; Keg becomes new sponsor

[mr.x]

SaveTheFireworks.ca and the Vancouver Fireworks Festival have worked hard over the past few weeks to save the the Celebration of Light. We are proud to announce today that the 2009 Celebration of Light will go ahead as planned, all thanks to a new sponsor stepping in to save the day. The Keg Restaurants have come forward to bridge the $400,000 shortfall.



http://www.news1130.com/news/local/more.js...311_094347_8720

http://www.ctvbc.ctv.ca/servlet/an/local/C...ishColumbiaHome

http://news.google.ca/news/url?sa=t&ct...tory%2FNational

[djmk]

awesome news.

one question.... are you telling me a local restaurant chain is putting up the money and the big banks are not?

TD (for example) posted earnings of 712 million last quarter and yet none of these banks can put up $400,000.

rubbish.

i'm eating at the keg

[osirisboy]

nice, everyone should go out and eat at the keg

stupid banks

[vanlaw]

Originally Posted by djmk

awesome news.

one question.... are you telling me a local restaurant chain is putting up the money and the big banks are not?

TD (for example) posted earnings of 712 million last quarter and yet none of these banks can put up $400,000.

rubbish.

i'm eating at the keg

I think the fact that HSBC still appears to be the title sponsor may have had something to do with that. Not too sure any other bank would want to fund an event that has a competitor's name and logo in the title.

[djh]

Great news! Celebration of Steak!!!

Did we need a new thread for this, since we already have a thread about saving the fireworks...?

[johnjimbc]

This is really great news. Go Keg!

[djmk]

Originally Posted by vanlaw

I think the fact that HSBC still appears to be the title sponsor may have had something to do with that. Not too sure any other bank would want to fund an event that has a competitor's name and logo in the title.

i did not know that it will be still called "HSBC Celebration of Light".

if this is true, that would make sense

[mr.x]

Originally Posted by djh

Great news! Celebration of Steak!!!

Did we need a new thread for this, since we already have a thread about saving the fireworks...?

After all the time mr.x put into this, you won't let him celebrate with a new topic: one that separates the saving from the celebrating? *cries*

[djh]

Sniff...

Well I see you point, it's just we'll end-up with two conversations about the same thing and information having to be posted twice, two threads to monitor to make sure we didn't miss anything, two places to look for updates...blah blah blah.

But congratulations though! Just need to sort out long-term stability

Oh look - somebody said the same thing in the OTHER THREAD

[Stingray2004]

Excellent News! Just made my day.

I'm gonna celebrate tonight at the Keg!

[Metro-One]

Awesome news! I hope they advertise that it has been saved in Seattle and other places so people still know to come and celebrate!

PS, i now think that if we do plan to ride the C-line as a group on opening day, we should finish the event by eating at the Keg downtown

[randito]

I am in montreal now, but we have 2 keg locations here now. I am going to go there this weekend. That is a lot of money for a restaurant to put up and I am really impressed that they are giving back THAT much to the community. It also gives me a chance to drink ceasers! Did you know that it was the keg that invented the ceaser?

[djmk]

Originally Posted by randito

It also gives me a chance to drink ceasers! Did you know that it was the keg that invented the ceaser?

no they didn't.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A3116620

"Although born in Montenegro, Mr Walter Chell was an employee of the thoroughly Canadian Calgary Inn in Calgary, Alberta, when he invented what he dubbed the 'Bloody Caesar' in 1969. Some say he was inspired by the vongole sauce of the Inn's Italian restaurant when he hand-mashed cooked clams, then added tomato juice, Worcestershire Sauce, hot sauce, a slice of lime, vodka, and a stick of celery as a garnish"

[mr.x]

This is basically how it happened:

- news comes out that the fireworks are canceled
- within the hour i start a facebook group pleading people to send letters to their MLA's, city council, and previous sponsors
- within the day, i'm contacted by a friend who wants to go even further than that
- five days after the cancellation announcement, after working nearly 24-hours a day, we finish and launch the SaveTheFireworks.ca website and campaign. We were also able to extend the fireworks order deadline by 8-weeks and previous sponsors were also interested and willing to step in.
- a few days later, we have the Province destroying our credibility as we are not a registered charity even though we never did mention we were a charity. The Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society was also working against us. They took the opportunity to decline our support, and intimidate/obstruct us from our activities. We called in the lawyers.
- about a week later, we met with the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society to work things out. They were very reluctant, it took us a few days for them to change their minds and believe that there was still hope.
- we merged our operations and began looking for big donors and sponsors; the donation drive clearly wasn't working very well, but it served its purpose in a way by creating awareness about the cause. Donations to savethefireworks.ca are declined as they would compromise our attempt to find sponsors.
- the Keg steps in
- today's announcement


Had we been unable to find the $400,000, there were still sponsors willing to give money for one significant display.

[Smooth]

Great news! Job well done mr.x2!

[djmk]

everybody at Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society should be fired and be replaced by mr.X2.

i can not understand why Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society would give up so easily and try to squash a grassroot effort.

[Metro-One]

This is basically how it happened:

- news comes out that the fireworks are canceled
- within the hour i start a facebook group pleading people to send letters to their MLA's, city council, and previous sponsors
- within the day, i'm contacted by a friend who wants to go even further than that
- five days after the cancellation announcement, after working nearly 24-hours a day, we finish and launch the SaveTheFireworks.ca website and campaign. We were also able to extend the fireworks order deadline by 8-weeks and previous sponsors were also interested and willing to step in.
- a few days later, we have the Province destroying our credibility as we are not a registered charity even though we never did mention we were a charity. The Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society was also working against us. They took the opportunity to decline our support, and intimidate/obstruct us from our activities. We called in the lawyers.
- about a week later, we met with the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society to work things out. They were very reluctant, it took us a few days for them to change their minds and believe that there was still hope.
- we merged our operations and began looking for big donors and sponsors; the donation drive clearly wasn't working very well, but it served its purpose in a way by creating awareness about the cause. Donations to savethefireworks.ca are declined as they would compromise our attempt to find sponsors.
- the Keg steps in
- today's announcement


Had we been unable to find the $400,000, there were still sponsors willing to give money for one significant display.

You should contact global and the other news agencies and have them do an indepth story on this entire turn of events. Great Job mr.X2, i think we all owe you a steak.

[usog]

*bows* I think some slimeballs at the province owe you guys an apology.

[mr.x]

I don't care at this point, the fireworks are going ahead...at least for this year. Goal accomplished.

It's possible that the VFFS was simply tired of begging for sponsorship every single year for the last 8 years ever since Benson & Hedges dropped their sponsorship.

And I would please ask you to refrain giving me that much credit, it was a team effort that also includes the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society.

[ckkelley]

Originally Posted by mr.x2

This is basically how it happened:

- news comes out that the fireworks are canceled
- within the hour i start a facebook group pleading people to send letters to their MLA's, city council, and previous sponsors
- within the day, i'm contacted by a friend who wants to go even further than that
- five days after the cancellation announcement, after working nearly 24-hours a day, we finish and launch the SaveTheFireworks.ca website and campaign. We were also able to extend the fireworks order deadline by 8-weeks and previous sponsors were also interested and willing to step in.
- a few days later, we have the Province destroying our credibility as we are not a registered charity even though we never did mention we were a charity. The Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society was also working against us. They took the opportunity to decline our support, and intimidate/obstruct us from our activities. We called in the lawyers.
- about a week later, we met with the Vancouver Fireworks Festival Society to work things out. They were very reluctant, it took us a few days for them to change their minds and believe that there was still hope.
- we merged our operations and began looking for big donors and sponsors; the donation drive clearly wasn't working very well, but it served its purpose in a way by creating awareness about the cause. Donations to savethefireworks.ca are declined as they would compromise our attempt to find sponsors.
- the Keg steps in
- today's announcement


Had we been unable to find the $400,000, there were still sponsors willing to give money for one significant display.

Wow, even though I'm a nimby/young curmudgeon and I'm not a fan of hooligansim, I'm impressed with your apparently tireless efforts.

Way to go!