I didn’t fight City Hall. I cheerfully went there last night to pitch the Rockford Fringe Festival to City Council during the “public comments” section of the weekly meeting. I was the fourth public speaker so they were good and bored by the time it was my turn.
I spoke my piece and then peaced out. On my way out, my alderman Chad Tuneberg told me he had other pitches to consider but he’d let me know soon. In order to move forward, I have to get pre-approved by Tuneberg. Then I can apply for the grant. After that, I wait for approval. And then I start planning the event. Many steps, many steps; you can see why it’s important to be proactive.
My short speech was a drop in the bucket of getting things rolling, but, like all drops, important. Every little moment counts and there is nothing wrong with using the public comments to say you want to do something that is legitimately good for the city.
Thanks for reading my blog. If you’d like to read my speech, it’s below. -Connie
My speech
Good evening,
I am Connie Kuntz and I live in the 3rd Ward with my husband and our children. Firstly, my family and I thank you for your excellent service to our city and for allowing me time to speak.
Secondly, on Friday, I learned about the Forward for Fun initiative and was immediately excited about the possibility of producing the 1st Annual Rockford Fringe Festival.
The Fringe would be an outdoor theatre festival that would take place July 8-10, 2022 at Walker Park in the 3rd Ward.
Over the course of the weekend, several local and regional theatre artists would perform their self-produced family-friendly plays, one after the other, on an outdoor stage.
This kind of “drop-in” theatre is fun, smart and inclusive. It always draws diversity and variety.
Economically speaking, theatre people love exploring their environments. The Fringe would generate income for nearby small businesses as well as our illustrious downtown. It would draw intelligent, experienced and educated artists to the 3rd Ward.
I am pitching the Rockford Fringe Festival to you now because in order to move forward, my next step would be to apply for the Forward for Fun grant. In order to do that, I first need approval from my 3rd Ward Alderman Chad Tuneberg.
Alderman Tuneberg, I emailed you on Saturday and it has my contact information in it. I am also leaving it here as I humbly request your approval to apply for the grant.
Without further ado, I thank each of you for your attention and consideration.
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Connie Kuntz 