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Y! MyWebDayton cancels annual summer kickoff festival
Monday, February 01, 2010
DAYTON — Dayton area residents who traditionally kick-off summer with the Five Rivers MetroParks "RiverBlast" festival in May will have to find another way to celebrate.
The festival is not on the park district's event schedule for 2010.
Charlie Shoemaker, executive director of Five Rivers MetroParks, said the one day event has "outlived its time."
"Hopefully, people will see this as a good decision for the organization," Shoemaker said. "We decided there has to be a better way to engage an audience in a more personal way."
Some 20,000 people attended the 9th annual RiverBlast Festival held in 2009, with many coming late in the evening for fireworks.
"Our programing is evolving," Shoemaker said. "We'll redirect resources to smaller, more intimate programs."
Festivals such as CityFolk, the Celtic Festival and the Hispanic Heritage Festival all will continue.
"Those all do a good job focusing on culture and ethic heritage," Shoemaker said.
