FROM: Amy Riley, Manager
The City of Frederick Office of Special Events, 301-228-2845

CELEBRATE FREDERICK SET TO KICK OFF NEW SEASON OF EVENTS

Some of Frederick’s favorite annual events will get a new look this year, as the non-profit group behind them is getting a makeover. Celebrate Frederick will unveil its new logo at the first event of its 2005 season, a fun-raiser starring The Deanna Bogart Band and The Cool Jerks at the Weinberg Center for the Arts on Saturday, April 2nd. The new logo is the result of a community-wide design competition.

Celebrate Frederick is a new name for the volunteer organization that is responsible for many of Frederick’s most popular activities. The group plans and produces: Beyond the Garden Gates Garden Tour, Summer Nite Cinema, Baker Park’s Summer Concert Series, Frederick’s July 4th Celebration, Summerfest Family Theatre, IN THE STREET, and seven holiday events, including the Candlelight House Tour and the Kris Kringle Procession.

Many of these events have become Frederick traditions. Summer Concert Series will celebrate its 28th anniversary this year, while Frederick’s 4th and IN THE STREET will celebrate 23 years. IN THE STREET has been voted best local annual event by Frederick Magazine readers for six years in a row, and both Summer Concert Series and Frederick’s 4th have been runners-up in that category.
Founded in 1999 under the name Cultural Events for Educating Frederick, Celebrate Frederick is comprised of an 11-member Board of Directors and approximately 100 volunteers who work on committees to plan the events. The board members and volunteers are all part of the local community. They work in conjunction with the City of Frederick’s Office of Special Events to produce the events.

Volunteers are the key to the success of Celebrate Frederick. As Frederick’s population began to grow in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s, city officials saw special events as a way to get newcomers involved in the community, while increasing the number of activities the city offered. The first volunteer committees handled every aspect of the events, from advertising to logistics to fundraising.
As the city grew, so did the number of events. In 1983, the City created the Office of Volunteerism to handle the increasing number of administrative tasks. In 1987, the office became known as the Office of Special Events. The staff works hand in hand with the volunteers, many of whom have been involved for several years. In fact, the chairman of the Holidays in Historic Frederick committee recently retired after 19 years of involvement. Volunteers can either serve on planning committees, or help out the day of the event.

All of these events have become an integral part of Frederick’s quality of life in several ways. Not only do they provide entertainment that is free or low cost, several events also give back to the community, either financially or through in-kind support. A percentage of the ticket proceeds from the Garden Tour and the Candlelight House Tour go to downtown beautification programs like the holiday lights and new trash receptacles on Market Street. Summer Concert Series and Summerfest Family Theatre collect canned food items for the Frederick City Food Bank in lieu of admission.
Financially, the events are supported by sponsor donations from the local business community, and from in-kind support from The City of Frederick. The following are the sponsors for the 2005 event season: Gold sponsors: Bechtel Foundation, Cellular One, Chase Credit Card Services, Drees Homes, Sandy Spring Bank, and Weis Markets; Silver sponsors: Adelphia, COMSTAR Federal Credit Union, Farmers & Mechanics Bank, and the Frederick News-Post; Bronze sponsors: BB&T, CitiMortgage and the Frederick Arts Council.

For more information on volunteering or about Celebrate Frederick, call the Office of Special Events at 301-228-2844, or visit www.CelebrateFrederick.com. For more information about the Deanna Bogart concert, call the Weinberg Center for the Arts at 301-228-2828, or visit www.weinbergcenter.org.