At a time when we desperately need to commemorate our nation’s birth and independence from a monarch, Colorado Springs residents are invited to pay to see the tax-subsidized concert and fireworks display on July 4.
For decades, the Colorado Springs Philharmonic played an Independence Day concert in Memorial Park, near downtown, ending with the Overture of 1812 as fireworks burst overhead in a spectacular finale. Families packed up the kids, lawn chairs and blankets and spread out at the park to watch the concert and fireworks, perhaps bringing along snacks and sodas.
But this year, the event will be held at the controversial Ford Amphitheater in the north reaches of the city. (This is the 8,000-seat venue that’s giving neighbors for miles around headaches and anxiety over its blaring live music concerts. It’s the one the City says is abiding by all the rules.)
Admission on July 4 is $5 a head (you must reserve in advance). Attendees are barred from bringing in outside eats and drinks, but they can pay for food and beverages on-site. Some parking might be free; some won’t.
When a story appeared in the June 4 Gazette announcing the change, I wondered a lot of things. I wondered what prompted the change, whose idea it was and what will become of the proceeds from admissions and snacks? Seems like a conservative estimate would top $100,000.
First, a little history, compliments of City spokesman Max D’Onofrio. For years, the Philharmonic was awarded funding from the City’s Lodgers and Auto Rental Tax (LART) for the cost of its performance, plus money to subcontract the fireworks. (LART money is spent on community events, but most of the money goes toward tourism efforts.) The group has been performing the Fourth of July concert since the 1970s. In 2021, that funding was split between the Philharmonic for its concert and the Colorado Springs Sports Corp for producing the “Star Spangled Symphony & Fourth of July Fireworks.”
“In 2021,” D’Onofio wrote on behalf of the City, Philharmonic and the Sports Corp, “as a response to the pandemic, the Philharmonic transitioned indoors to the Pikes Peak Center, and a new partnership was formed with the Sports Corp to expand fireworks displays across the city. This collaborative model has allowed more residents to enjoy the celebration from multiple vantage points while maintaining public safety and offering a high-quality performance experience.”
D’Onofio reports no admission was charged for the concert at the Pikes Peak Center, but noted the downtown concert hall seats 1,800 (it actually has a capacity of 2,000), and that moving the event to the north location “helps create a more inclusive and structured environment for concertgoers while allowing for enhanced production quality and operational safety.”
He also notes the $5 admission charge is “affordable” and was sanctioned by “all partners.”
Proceeds from that and food and beverage will “go to the event’s overall operations and ensure that this celebration remains sustainable and enjoyable for years to come,” and that the event’s cost will “exceed” whatever rolls in from ticket sales and food and beverage. “VENU Holding Corporation, owner of Ford Amphitheater, will not be profiting from the event,” he adds.
According to City records, the City, through its Lodgers and Auto Rental Tax, paid the Philharmonic these amounts: in 2020, $20,500; in 2021, nothing because it didn’t perform in this pandemic year; in 2022, $90,000; in 2023, $100,000, and last year, $90,000. This year, it will be paid $75,000.
LART records show the Sports Corp was paid: in 2020, $119,855; in 2021, $90,000; in 2022, $121,265; in 2023, $131,500, and last year, $131,500. The city has also budgeted to pay $131,500 this year to the Sports Corp.
D’Onofrio said by phone that the City gives the LART money to the Philharmonic and Sports Corp, and it’s up to them to pay Venu Holdings, the owner of Ford Amphitheater. But he said all of those involved believe there will be no profit from the event, and if there is, “Venu Holdings said they would be donating it [proceeds] to a local charity.”
At least two people besides me question the decision to book the so-called city-wide event at the far-north venue.
“What used to be a free amenity in the heart of Colorado Springs has moved out and now requires a paid admission ticket for a traditional event. Sad,” one person told me.
Another said, “Many wonderful years of picnics on the grass, families and friends gathering for great music and socializing – and maybe the best free evening in the area – all replaced by a night in a neighborhood where no one wants us, an entrance fee to a ‘venue’ without charm, food you have to buy from vendors and then being disgorged into the channel of massive traffic on I-25 to get home. The commercialization of a lovely tradition doesn’t feel like progress. It feels like a big loss.”
Here’s my two cents: When innocents are being snatched from our streets by masked people dressed in black, when media is being vilified for simply doing its job, when military forces are being unleashed against Americans, and when our so-called leaders are doing everything they can to divide our nation, this is no time to change up the rules for a community event that for decades was open and inclusive to all with no barriers.
But if none of that matters to you, here’s something to consider. While poking through this year’s LART allocations, I found these:
● $507,500 committed to the U.S. Senior Open Championship golf tournament being held at The Broadmoor, which might be the biggest institutional opponent to the idea of increasing the LART tax from 2% on hotel rooms and 1% on car rentals to higher levels comparable to those imposed in numerous other cities. (See my last column, “Pam Zubeck has a few questions: How about raising taxes on visitors instead of residents?” in the Pikes Peak Bulletin’s May 24 edition.)
● $500,000 assigned to the U.S. Olympic and Paralympic Museum. I know I’m an old timer, but I can’t be the only one who remembers elected officials pledging that tax money would not be used to prop up the museum, which opened amid the pandemic and hasn’t been the tourism generator it was purported to be. But that’s another story.
In any event, if you can’t score a fistful of tickets for the fam, or don’t want to fight the traffic, or can’t afford to pay state fair prices for food and drink, you can tune in to Rocky Mountain PBS or local radio stations for the concert, D’Onofrio says, and view one of the multiple fireworks displays being staged around the area.
A spokesman for Venu Holding said via email that moving the event up north will increase the number of people who attend and that the cost of producing the event is expected to exceed ticket sales and food and beverage. If any profits are made, however, he said, the money will be funneled to VENU Arts and Culture Foundation, which awards grants to local music, arts and culture projects.
Pam Zubeck worked for over 45 years as a journalist in Kansas, Oklahoma and Colorado. She covered local government and other topics at The Gazette for 16 years before moving to the Indy in 2009 where she contributed news and cover stories for 14 years. She’s won numerous state, regional and national awards, including the Sigma Delta Chi public service award from the Society of Professional Journalists for her 2012 story, “Misfire,” about the city’s response to the Waldo Canyon Fire. She may be reached at Pam.Zubeck@PikesPeakBulletin.org
