The 4th of July is a time for jubilation and celebration, but a state-run festival meant to provide fun and entertainment to local patriots has instead led to public outrage, financial concerns, and scrutiny on the Executive Branch and its events committee. How did a weekend event meant to celebrate our great state turn into such a controversy? The story is more complex than you might think.
(Full disclosure: Becks Lawson is a member of the events committee. Lawson was not involved with the 4th of July festival in any capacity, and has yet to take any action as part of this committee.)
Arriving at the event was, in and of itself, a surreal experience. A massive stage had been set up by Extra, an events company that specializes in helping businesses create or customize venues for special occasions. The stage was magnificent, boasting an America-loving dinosaur, bright lights, and plenty of room to boogie. The only thing it was missing was a crowd. Shout News was informed on the scene that the first musician, set to begin at 6PM, declined to perform due to non-payment. The event was postponed until 8PM, and eventually canceled.
Shout News has reached out to Governor Bright-Starr for comment, and will update should she respond.
State Representative Jack Burton was on scene, attempting to coordinate the public, work with vendors, and manage the chaos. While the festival was outside Burton’s job description, he was still attempting to manage the chaos. Burton eventually rescheduled the event, coordinating with Extra, to begin at 5PM ET at the Vespucci beachside club.
This was more than just a sparsely attended event; this was a complete collapse, with citizens taking to Y, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to express their displeasure.
Hydra Dalton
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@hydra
ELLA BRIGHT-STARR IS A JOKE OF A GOV, BLAME-SHIFTING POS WHO CANT PLAN AN EVENT, LET ALONE HOW TO RUN A GOVERNMENT. ROT IN HELL
Jason Tanners
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@JasonTanners
God fucking damnit, I don’t understand why it’s so hard to get a normal fucking government around here. Forced to pick between shit policy and shit procedure. This term sucks, the last term sucks, you all sucked. You all need to do fucking better.
Reply to @JasonTanners
Salvatore Tugelbend
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@SalTugelbend
you’re asking too much, just mediocre would be fine
Reply to @SalTugelbend
Jason Tanners
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@JasonTanners
Somewhat mediocre would be an upgrade from the last several terms. Yep.
Hunter Bail
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@Bail
Anyone involved in high government should be fucking ashamed. You are all embarrassing. Way to help “The People” and become the biggest jokes this term. What a waste of everyones time.
According to a lengthy press release from Extra, the Executive Branch and Extra entered an agreement to build a venue for the 4th of July festival. According to this release, Governor Bright-Starr agreed to work with Extra on the venue, with the understanding that the rest of the logistics would be up to the Executive Branch. Extra clarifies that the company was paid for their services.
On July 5, Extra alleges that vendors and government officials began to call the company, stating that the Governor had directed them to call Extra Events for direction, as they were planning the event. “Contrary to what our name might suggest, Extra Events is not an event planning company,” states the press release. “Instead, we specialize in construction services and work closely alongside esteemed event planning firms like Blissful Events.”
Extra has coordinated events in-house; for example, the recent Renaissance Faire was a passion project. “However, this is not a service we offer to our clients,” states the press release.
According to sources, the head of the events committee has resigned from the position, citing mismanagement, lack of communication, and no reliable oversight. The events committee is one major initiative from Governor Bright-Starr, who was recently arrested on felony charges of assault with a deadly weapon and uttering threats.
The state government is already in a deeply precarious position: our Governor is out on bail; multiple State Representatives have stepped down and must be replaced via a special election, and the government’s first major event has failed in a manner reminiscent of Fyre Festival. It remains to be seen what impact this has on public trust in government, or the funds available to host events in future — but for now, it’s clear that the patriotic celebration has failed, shining a light on our current government’s weaknesses.
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