At Carytown celebration, many skipped $2 donation

By: Michael Martz | Richmond Times-Dispatch
Published: January 03, 2009

Fewer than half the people who celebrated New Year's Eve in Carytown pitched in to help pay for it, organizers say.

With total attendees estimated by organizers to number at least 25,000, $20,000 to $21,000 was collected through a $2 per-person donation to defray rising security costs and other expenses.

"This is an expensive event," said Raylene Wilkinson, president of the Carytown Merchants Association and owner of Raylene's Pennyrich. "Some people didn't want to help participate in that. I really think it's a sad thing."

Wilkinson still doesn't know the final numbers, but she said the biting temperatures chilled expected beer sales. The event was boosted by corporate sponsorships and a VIP area that drew about 600 people, but it wasn't enough to cover expenses of $115,000 to $125,000.

"Unfortunately, we did lose money again this year," she said.

The $2 charge was added for the first time in the event's three-year history to cover security costs that almost tripled from the previous year, but the organizers treated the charge as a voluntary donation and didn't insist that people pay.

"Our thing was, we weren't going to cause a fuss," Wilkinson said.

Despite the monetary loss, organizers and Richmond police called the celebration a big success, with few disturbances, injuries or arrests.

"Everybody had a good time, everybody had a safe time," said Capt. Michael Shamus, commander of the police special-events division. "We brought in 2009 safe and sound."

Police more than doubled their presence at the event from the previous year, and the bill rose from $15,000 to more than $29,000. The organizers also hired a private security firm at a cost of $17,000, to handle admissions and alcohol sales, and spent up to $12,000 to rent barricades for an emergency lane in the middle of West Cary Street.

"I think the police presence was good out there," Shamus said. "That was part of the reason it was so successful."

Said Wilkinson: "It was a great party."
Contact Michael Martz at (804) 649-6964 or mmartz@timesdispatch.com.