Three Austin businesses have come to the aid of the SPAMTOWN USA Festival.

Friday, May 04, 2001

Three Austin businesses have come to the aid of the SPAMTOWN USA Festival.

They are Bissen TV & Appliance, Cash Wise Food and Jim’s Super Valu.

The businesses are sponsoring grand prizes in the festival button giveaway contest. Bissen TV & Appliance is donating a portable Holland gas grill and Cash Wise Food and Jim’s Super Valu each are sponsoring $300 grocery shopping sprees.

Festival director Cindy Samuel hopes the prize giveaways will help spur sales of the festival buttons, which are how the two fireworks displays are funded.

The buttons bear a likeness of the U.S. flag, because this year the grand marshals of the Independence Day parade will be armed forces veterans. All branches of the military service will be represented as well as prisoners of war and those missing in action, according to Samuel.

One thousand individually numbered festival buttons will be sold, Samuel said. The first festival button prize drawing takes place noon Independence Day in Horace Austin Park; the second takes place 11 p.m. July 6 at the street dance; and the last is at 8:15 p.m. July 8 at the Austin Bandshell, where the Concert in the Park activities will conclude this year’s SPAMTOWN USA Festival celebration.

There is a limit of one prize per winner.

There will be two fireworks displays this year on Independence Day and July 8 and they don’t come cheap, according to Samuel.

"We are budgeting $12,700 for this year’s two evenings of fireworks displays," Samuel said. "Last year, we had four nights of fireworks displays and it cost $16,500. The fireworks displays are one of the biggest crowd-pleasers during the SPAMTOWN USA Festival."

The festival buttons will cost $2 each, but to enhance the fireworks displays, three-dimensional glasses also will be sold this year. The festival organizers have purchased 1,500 pairs of glasses and expect them to sell out quickly.

The buttons go on sale Tuesday.

Samuel is excited about the prospects of U.S. veterans being honored as grand marshals of the Independence Day parade. To ensure there is an appropriate patriotic spirit, she has ordered 10,000 miniature U.S. flags, which will be distributed along the 22-block parade route.

Another 2,500 flags will be given away at the Concert in the Park activities July 8.

Participating merchants in the festival button giveaway are happy to be involved.

"Being involved in this community event is what it’s all about," said Jim Baldus, owner of Jim’s Super Valu. "All merchants getting together for the benefit of all is what makes it work successfully."

Bissen TV & Appliance’s Grant agreed.

"Everybody loves the fireworks displays and we’re happy to be able to help everyone celebrate. This is a very worthwhile sponsorship," Grant said.

Two nights of fireworks displays with the opportunity to watch the colorful explosions with 3D glasses sounds inviting.

The prospect of one of every two of the more than 20,000 parade-watchers along the Independence Day route waving a U.S. flag sounds more inviting.

Another 2,500 or more people waving flags while the Austin Symphony Orchestra plays at the Concert in the Park only adds to the prospect for excitement and fun.

All systems seem "go" for an outstanding summertime celebration in Austin.

A $2 donation for a button will go a long way to making the SPAMTOWN USA Festival everything it was meant to be.

Is it any wonder, Samuel said, "Buy a festival button and support this hometown celebration and patriotic salute."

Call Lee Bonorden at 434-2232 or e-mail him at lee.bonorden@austindailyherald.com.