The City of Fishers released a statement Thursday morning, saying it is dedicated to honoring the Fishers Freedom Festival’s tradition in future events, including the annual parade. The statement was issued after the festival committee announced late Wednesday night it will not have the financial resources to stage the mid-summer event at Holland Park in 2018.
The Fishers City Council formed a committee earlier this year as part of the budget process to review financial support the city provides to local nonprofit groups. Nonprofit organizations were asked to apply for financial support, and the Freedom Festival submitted an application.
“Through the application process, [Fishers Freedom Festival] was unable to demonstrate fiscal independence, and the nonprofit committee felt it was best to allocate the grant dollars to benefit multiple nonprofits in an effort to help a greater number of residents,” according to the city statement.
“The Fishers Freedom Festival traditionally received half of the City’s nonprofit grant budget in addition to in-kind services, the equivalent to 10 percent of the Fishers Parks and Recreation budget,” the city said in its written statement.
The Fishers Parks and Recreation Department will take the lead on planning the summer event in 2018. City spokesperson Ashley Elrod tells LarryInFishers the planning process for the 2018 event will begin now, in light of the festival committee’s announcement late Wednesday.