4th of July Admissions Question

We went down to Memorial Park earlier today just to walk around, look at the animals and get some food from the concessions. Did not want to attend any of the circus performances or the evening's fireworks or entertainment. But we still had to pay $10 each just to get into the area where the food was being sold and where the circus was set up.

The people at the entrance seemed confused when we asked if we had to pay just to walk around...I know in past years, you did need to buy a tag for the circus/fireworks, but they were checked before you were admitted for those events. No tag, no admittance. Did it change this year?

I'll call someone on the Committee tomorrow, just to make sure, but $40 is a lot to pay just to walk around for a half hour and buy some ices, lemonade and barbecue. If it's done this way to subsidize the fireworks, that's fine, but we may choose to stay in our yard next 4th.

it changed this year.  They added events, car show, carnival games, food concessions and made the whole thing admission only.

OK, thanks for the info. One grandchild is too old for the circus and kid games and the other is only 6 months old. Guess we'll wait a year or two before we bring the baby to the circus and games. I'm willing to make a donation to the event to keep it going, but I hadn't been aware of the change.

Kids under 2 get in for nothing. Everyone else pays $10 with no circus. No idea what the circus costs. Was irritated that I had to pay to bring a kid through the park. Was even more irritated that the "rides" (3 different bounce houses) each charged an additional fee, in tickets. 

Tickets were $1.50 each with a bulk discount and no refunds. 

A bounce house ride went for 3 tickets. The time limit was held strictly to 4 minutes. So over a buck a minute, even with the "cover charge". 

There were some other things over by the circus tent that hadn't been put up as of 2pm or so.

I suppose that is probably reasonable just for the ride. The $10 in the middle of the day 10 hours before fireworks is ridiculous. It's a holiday weekend and the park is a major attraction for kids. The kiddie playground was outside the "pay zone" but the rest of the park from the basketball courts to the library was verboten without paying the cover charge.

And no, I don't care about the "car show". Sure, there were some cool cars parked in the blazing sun as I threaded my way through the impromptu parking lot on the way to the bounce house. Who cares? Those guys don't get paid to bring their cars, do they? Because if they are, not to call out anyone's wheels, but some of them you'd see parked in your local 7-11 parking lot.

As far as "events" go- there was a DJ blasting dance music. No one was anywhere near the music area because the music was face meltingly loud.

Do I sound bitter? I'm not. If it was in the spirit of past years- when you go see your townsfolk out and about, and if you want to see the circus, or go in the bounce house, go for it and pay the freight. 

But your kid can't even go through their own neighborhood park on a federal holiday in the summer without a minimum $20 outlay assuming you're with said kid. Totally lame. 

Given the (omg here it comes) taxes paid in this town, getting chiseled $40 for a family of 4 as someone mentioned earlier to walk around in your park and then PAY AGAIN if you actually want to do something is gross, and a money grab.

You want to charge for fireworks? Good! I don't want to pay for them. Start charging at 7pm, or charge anyone who is bringing in chairs or something. NOBODY was going to hang out there doing nothing for 7 hours, c'mon. 

Jackson_Fusion said:

Kids under 2 get in for nothing. Everyone else pays $10 with no circus. No idea what the circus costs. Was irritated that I had to pay to bring a kid through the park. Was even more irritated that the "rides" (3 different bounce houses) each charged an additional fee, in tickets. 

Tickets were $1.50 each with a bulk discount and no refunds. 

A bounce house ride went for 3 tickets. The time limit was held strictly to 4 minutes. So over a buck a minute, even with the "cover charge". 

There were some other things over by the circus tent that hadn't been put up as of 2pm or so.

I suppose that is probably reasonable just for the ride. The $10 in the middle of the day 10 hours before fireworks is ridiculous. It's a holiday weekend and the park is a major attraction for kids. The kiddie playground was outside the "pay zone" but the rest of the park from the basketball courts to the library was verboten without paying the cover charge.

And no, I don't care about the "car show". Sure, there were some cool cars parked in the blazing sun as I threaded my way through the impromptu parking lot on the way to the bounce house. Who cares? Those guys don't get paid to bring their cars, do they? Because if they are, not to call out anyone's wheels, but some of them you'd see parked in your local 7-11 parking lot.

As far as "events" go- there was a DJ blasting dance music. No one was anywhere near the music area because the music was face meltingly loud.

Do I sound bitter? I'm not. If it was in the spirit of past years- when you go see your townsfolk out and about, and if you want to see the circus, or go in the bounce house, go for it and pay the freight. 

But your kid can't even go through their own neighborhood park on a federal holiday in the summer without a minimum $20 outlay assuming you're with said kid. Totally lame. 

Given the (omg here it comes) taxes paid in this town, getting chiseled $40 for a family of 4 as someone mentioned earlier to walk around in your park and then PAY AGAIN if you actually want to do something is gross, and a money grab.

You want to charge for fireworks? Good! I don't want to pay for them. Start charging at 7pm, or charge anyone who is bringing in chairs or something. NOBODY was going to hang out there doing nothing for 7 hours, c'mon. 

Let me try to answer your points one at a time.  Disclaimer:  I am not a member of the 4th of July Committee and had no input in planning today's activities but I am a long time volunteer and did work at one of the gates today.

$10 was for general admission to the park and the fireworks.  Most of this went for the fireworks but there were other costs as well.  This is the first year for this format and there were problems.  If you have positive feedback, please let members of the 4th of July Committee know so they can can plan for next year.  For an additional $5 you could also get admission to the circus.  Cost ($10 for fireworks; $15 for fireworks plus circus) is same as last year.  

Vendors charged for food, rides, and games.  This was how they made their money for the day. Music, baking contest, eating contests, pet show, car show, etc. were included in price of the during the day admission.

A surprising number of persons came just for the car show.  It ended up being a major draw.  Few of these persons had any interest in seeing the fireworks and helped fund the fireworks for the rest of us.  Something for everyone is a valuable aim.  Everything for everyone is an impossibility.  Again if you have suggestions for next year, share them with the Committee.

I seem to write this every year, your taxes do not pay for the 4th of July Celebration apart from use of the park and in kind services by police, fire, DPW, etc.  Wrist band sales are the primary income source that supports the event.  This year there was also sale of some drinks and souvenirs but income from that source was minimal.

What got me was the Stalag 13 level security with the whole park being fenced off and no parking anywhere nearby with so many spaces needlessly blocked off. To get to the car show and food court, a 5 minute walk from the train station became a 20 minute hike over to the tennis court and back.

I am lucky enough to live nearby but what a pain that would be for a family having to park blocks away on top of that. Major FAIL.

I guess walls are in this year...

I just wanted to take a stroll through the park, and wasn't particularly interested in the car show, circus or fireworks.  Might have bought something in a booth if allowed in, but I didn't like the whole large area being cordoned off with security either. The lock down seemed overly broad, when each event could have been individually charged, as in the past.

There were four entrances (gates).  The entrance by the civic house was the only entrance on the side of the river closest to the train station and was pretty close to the car show.  For the food court, I would have suggested heading to Baker Street and entering at Baker near Valley Street.  

Parking on streets closest to the park has been forbidden for years because of traffic flow and safety issues.  There is handicapped parking available by the train station. Vendors were offered parking at the library parking lot. Non-vendors coming from further away who do not have a handicapped tag can park at the South Orange Train Station and take a jitney which began running at 1 pm.  I don't how frequently the jitney runs.  It should be running after the fireworks to bring persons back to SO.  Otherwise, on my side of town, the closest parking seems to be east of Prospect Street.

The only people I saw around the cars were the people who came with them. It was a ghost town around 2pm, but I'm not as close to it as you, Joan so if it was a draw, that's great. 

I of course recognize that nothing need be geared specifically to the demands of myself, and I didn't suggest otherwise. I would however say as a fairly typical demographic for the town there was nothing for my family that we didn't have to pay for anyway after the cover charge. 

I am forewarned now and that's on me next year.

I did note that other than the usage of the park tax dollars weren't going towards the fireworks. I am surprised to hear however that the event doesn't pay for the extra police & town personnel presence on a holiday. 

I could suggest Maplewood driver's licenses gets you in free, or maybe at a discount early in the day. Or maybe a certain number of tickets for a ride. 

I'd rather go with my original point, which you echoed- people going to see fireworks can pay $10. People not going any time near when the fireworks are happening pay nothing except rides circus whatever. 

I should have asked what $20 got if I wasn't staying for 8 hours till the fireworks. I didn't. Now I know and will operate accordingly.

It is quite possible that wrist band sales do go towards paying for at least some of the police presence but I don't know this for certain. You may want to check with the town or the 4th of July Committee. Perhaps someone in the know could chime in here.

Quite a few of the persons entering at the gate where I worked asked specifically about the car show.  They were not interested in the rest of the activities including the fireworks.  I can't speak for the experience at the other gates.