Idaho Falls Chamber cancels Liberty Festival on the Falls
The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce announced Friday that it’s annual Liberty Festival on the Falls is canceled for 2017. The event has been canceled because of a number of issues including the still uncertain plans for the annual Melaleuca Freedom Celebration.
The full press release from the Chamber of Commerce can be read below:
The board of directors of the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce has decided to cancel the annual Liberty Festival on the Falls for 2017. Traditionally, the Liberty Festival has been held on the Greenbelt on July 4 after the Independence Day Parade. The family-friendly event helped crowds waiting for the fireworks to pass the time by visiting food and craft vendors as well as enjoying live music entertainment.
With uncertainty still surrounding the location of the fireworks, the Chamber considered several factors and options before making this decision. A survey of recent Liberty Festival vendors indicated they prefer to vend at the location of the fireworks. To date there are no plans for a fireworks show, and without fireworks, it was difficult to determine if Liberty Festival would generate the quantity of customers needed to meet the needs of vendors. The festival requires a significant amount of advanced planning and coordination to provide a quality event in a safe environment. Considering these factors and more, the Chamber decided to cancel Liberty Festival on the Falls.
“This was not an easy decision to make,” says Chip Schwarze, CEO of the Chamber. “Not only have we considered the time required to organize such an event, but our vendors who support this event have been forced to accept opportunities at other events so they can fill their summer calendars. These small businesses have a narrow window in the summer to generate revenues for the year and we can no longer ask them to wait as they are losing opportunities.”
The Chamber board of directors and staff extend their gratitude to all community members, sponsors, vendors, volunteers, city employees, law enforcement officers and service providers for their support of the community event over the past several years. The Chamber hopes to continue the tradition of holding a summer festival in the future.
About the Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce
The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce has been operating for 113 years in the Idaho Falls area. Since its creation in 1904, the Chamber has grown to include 650 member businesses representing over 27,000 employees in the Greater Idaho Fall Region. Member businesses represent more than 30 different business sectors. The Greater Idaho Falls Chamber of Commerce strives to be the leading business resource for networking, advocacy and educational business programs. The Chamber works to create and protect competitive advantage for business in the region. To learn more, visit www.idahofallschamber.com.
