BLYTHEWOOD – In addition to $15,000 that Blythewood Town Council appropriated earlier this year to Bravo Blythewood for a spring concert series, it voted unanimously last week to approve an additional $2,360 from Hospitality Taxes (H-Tax).
Four concerts will be held April 27, May 3, May 10 and May 17, 2019 at the Palmetto Citizens Federal Credit Union Amphitheater in Doko Meadows Park at a cost of $46,000.
Mayor J. Michael Ross said Bravo Blythewood will raise the remaining $28,640.
Revenue Sources
A budget sheet for the event presented to council by Martha Jones, president of Bravo Blythewood, listed those additional revenue sources as: sponsorships, $11,000; food vendors, $1,500; beer/wine sales, $14,560 and non-alcoholic beer sales, $1,634.
“You have made a real commitment in what you’re saying you’re going to spend, and how you’re going to raise it and how you’re going to get sponsorships,” Ross said, addressing Jones. “In looking through this, it looks really good, and I can’t wait for it,” Ross stated.
Expenses
The group will spend $9,000 on an event project manager, $9,500 on the headline band, $4,290 on beer and wine, $3,000 for the amphitheater, $1,200 to ‘volunteers,’ and Bravo Blythewood will keep $4,000.
Nineteen hundred and twenty dollars will go to Sheriff’s patrol, $1,700 will go to family entertainment and $1,200 to Freeway Music opening band.
Newspaper advertising will include $1,800 to The Country Chronicle, $400 to The Voice, $1,101.60 to Northeast News and $1,250 going to social media and web advertising, $500 for signs, $35 for posters and another $5,000 + for décor, rentals, graphics and other items.
Camp Discovery
Council also approved a one-time donation of $750 to Camp Discovery.
The donation came at the request of council member Malcolm Gordge, who sits on the camp’s board. Last month, Gordge invited the leaders of Camp Discovery to give a presentation to the council in consideration of the camp’s ongoing efforts and their funding needs in order to continue their operations.
The camp relies on donations from the public and various foundations to keep its gates open, which Gordge called “challenging” at times. Before the official decision, Gordge had asked the council if a donation in the range of $500 to $1,000 would be possible.
Ross recommended the donation be made out of the town’s promotions fund.
