ETV News Stock Photo by Traci Bishop
Press Release
During last week’s Price City Council workshop, city council members reviewed this year’s International Days. All signs point to it being one of the biggest events in recent memory, which triggered a debate on if the event might be getting too big.
“After reviewing International Days, this year’s celebration might be the biggest ever,” said event chair Layne Miller. “The parade was so big additional streets needed to be close so it could be staged, park vendors produced near record revenues, the carnival was packed each night, and the burnout was very busy and had more than double the cars from last year.”
A robust discussion considered when the event will be too big for the city and city employees to handle. Employee overtime was discussed, as was wear and tear on Washington Park.
Miller also suggested someone from the city needs to be assigned to be available to answer all the questions and issues that come up during the event. “The employee we had that used to do that has retired, so that responsibility fell to me,” Miller explained. “The chair’s position requires that person to juggle other issues too, so it became almost overwhelming at times.”
The council decided to conduct a review of the celebration to see if the event is getting too big and review all events to see if some can be moved to other venues or eliminated.
“Our research shows International Days is becoming a destination event for locals and others living outside the area,” explained Miller. “We’re learning that family reunions are being held during International Days, high school graduation celebrations are being planned and family gatherings are being held during the event. We just need to make sure the event continues to be one of the best events our area celebrates.”