A quiz on America’s past will bring a brighter financial future to Independence Day at the Fort Vancouver National Site.
o What: The daylong celebration and fireworks return to the Fort Vancouver National Trust on July 4.
o When: Gates open at 8 a.m. A patriotic parade is at 2 p.m. Fireworks begin at 10:05 p.m.
o Cost: Cost is $5 in advance and $7 at the gate. Ages 12 and under free; some free passes are available for those in need.
o Information: Visit here.
Following a last-minute push to light the fuse under folks to take an online quiz, “Responsible Moments in U.S. History,” the city has won a $10,000 grant from Liberty Mutual’s “Bring Back the 4th” contest.
The contest, which hopes to encourage people across America to rally to help continue their city’s official Fourth of July celebrations, awarded 10 such grants to cities that had the greatest number of residents log on to the insurance company’s website and take the quiz, said Kim Hash, director of programs at the Fort Vancouver National Trust.
It didn’t matter if the answers to questions like “Which country donated the Statue of Liberty to the United States?” or “Who sewed the first American flag?” were correct, she said. Participants just had to try.
And boy, did Vancouver residents apparently try.
The insurance company didn’t release the exact number of people who participated, but Hash said that Vancouver didn’t get involved until June 7, well after the contest’s May 13 start date, and only 10 days before the deadline.
“We just jumped on it, even though we really thought it was a long shot,” Hash said. “We were sending out the link to our board, members, Facebook and e-mailed it to everybody we could think of.”
Local TV station KATU did a feature as well, spreading the word a bit more.
“Our community really stepped up,” she said.
Winning a “Bring Back the 4th” competition was particularly poignant for the trust, which had to cancel the beloved community event in 2009 due to high cost and low sponsorship.
The trust and its supporters rallied this year. They’re bringing back a revamped day that features a fireworks display that will be launched from the fort grounds, rather than from a barge in the Columbia River, and less extravagant entertainment.
In 2008, the show cost the nonprofit and its sponsors upward of $450,000. Admission was by $4 donation.
This year, officials expect the $365,000 price tag for the event to be mostly covered by ticket sales, proceeds from its fireworks stands, sponsors and vendors.
In May the trust announced that it would reimburse the city $50,000 to provide police, fire and operations services.
That’s where the $10,000 grant will come in handy, Hash said.
Though Bank of America and BNSF Railway signed on as a sponsors, not as many other companies stepped forward as they had hoped, she said. And charging admission is an unsure bet, she said.
“We placed a ton of requests out in community, but were told that due to the economy, most organizations could not support the event this year,” she said. “And until July 5, we don’t know how successful ticket sales will be for the event.”
So far, about 100 tickets have been sold, although Hash said she expects many more to be picked up as July 4 draws closer.
Still, she said, the grant is a nice cushion: “It really gives you a nice feeling of security to have that kind of support.”
Andrea Damewood: 360-735-4542 or andrea.damewood@columbian.com.
o What: The daylong celebration and fireworks return to the Fort Vancouver National Trust on July 4.
o When: Gates open at 8 a.m. A patriotic parade is at 2 p.m. Fireworks begin at 10:05 p.m.
o Cost: Cost is $5 in advance and $7 at the gate. Ages 12 and under free; some free passes are available for those in need.
o Information: Visit here.
