Dec. 8, 2023 2:40p
(WGTD)---Salmon-A-Rama announced Friday that it will be returning to Racine's Festival Park for this summer's event. The announcement was made just days after the city council voted unanimously to turn over management of the city-owned site and Memorial Hall to a new company that is pledging a return to the days of when Festival Park was busy with public events almost throughout the entire summer.
"Salmon-A-Rama will be returning to where it all started, the Racine Festival site for its 50th anniversary in 2024 and with a committed 5-year agreement with 5K Events," the social media announcement reads. "This will provide peace of mind for the fishing festival, and give the community the excitement of festivals returning to the city. Food trucks, raffles, bands and vendors will be featured."
The agreement was announced before 5K and city officials have had a chance to negotiate a deal that the city council authorized administration to strike.
The switch to a new company is the result of broad dissatisfaction with the dwindling number of public events that have taken place at the sites in recent years. The reason for the decline is in dispute, but not something that Alder Melisa Kaprelian was interested in debating when she spoke in favor of the new company at this week's council meeting. "I know for the past handful of years with no fault or blame shouldered on the last management company--a lot of things have definitely taken place over the years but I just see a tremendous potential with innovators like 5K and what they could possible achieve," she said.
The contract proposal that's to be negotiated by city and company officials must go back to the city council for approval.
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