When you outsource a critical function, you run the risk of losing control over it.
No, I’m not writing today about Edward Snowden and the National Security Agency.
That lesson hit much closer to home yesterday after Harrisburg outsourced the most important part of any July 4 celebration — the fireworks — to the Senators baseball team.
By all accounts, the Senators did a great job. Over the Susquehanna, the rockets were red glare, the bombs bursting in air, with onlookers offering up acceptable levels of oohs and ahs. The problem had to do with the timing.
In past years, Harrisburg set off its annual holiday display at 9:05 p.m. like clockwork, the show wrapping up with a grand finale that lit up the night sky with a magnificent display about 20 minutes later. This year, however, the timing was, well, not quite so clear.
Official word was that the fireworks would follow the Senators game at Metro Bank Park. Estimated time: 9:30. In fact, the city’s promotional flyer firmly stated the show would commence at 9:30, a time repeated by most media outlets (including TheBurg).
However, the game moved along briskly, with the home team falling to the Bowie Baysox by a 6-2 count at about 10-til. Fifteen minutes later — at 9:07 p.m. — bang, zoom! By the appointed start time, the show had already wrapped up, with the hordes migrating to their cars and back to the ‘burbs.
Unfortunately, the people most affected ended up being Harrisburg’s own loyal city dwellers, who often scamper down to the waterfront just minutes before start time. On Twitter, numerous residents complained that they had missed the whole thing, and a few confused people even said they thought the city’s show would follow the Senators’ display.
Nope. As one tweet said: the Senators fireworks were the city’s fireworks.
Like most politicians, when Linda Thompson reflects back on her mayoralty, she probably will stress what she perceives as her successes while downplaying or ignoring the negatives. The annual July 4 celebration will probably go unmentioned.
Three years ago, Thompson tried to change the name and the focus of the established “American MusicFest,” sparking a completely unnecessary controversy. Then, two years ago, she said Harrisburg couldn’t afford fireworks at all, reversing herself when corporate sponsors learned of the cancellation and suddenly stepped up. Now this.
Given Harrisburg’s other problems, the July 4 festival is a relatively minor matter. Nonetheless, it does indicate a chronic problem of the administration — the ability to plan and execute something substantial. In fact, many of the city’s other festivals and rituals have experienced similar issues, to the extent that residents have come to wonder each year if there actually will be a Kipona or a holiday parade.
The next mayor would do well to learn from this administration’s mistakes in so many ways. As per the July 4 celebration itself — raise more funds, re-emphasize the music, court more vendors (too many vacant stretches), retire that silly, empty mayor’s tent and retain the wine area (a big hit). Perhaps these moves will help build back the MusicFest from the rather sparsely attended affair it has become.
Lastly, please, please make sure you have the fireworks plan down solid. Sure, Harrisburg has far bigger issues to deal with, but, when it comes to July 4, it gets no more mission-critical than that.
