Community Corner

Downtown's Big, Bright Light Show Needs Funding Help

Rochester DDA seeks 'Miracle on Fourth Street' through crowd-sourced funding to continue illumination of side streets this holiday.

In order for downtown Rochester's illustrious Big, Bright Light Show to reach its full potential this year, the Rochester Downtown Development Authority is turning to the community for help.

Due to budget cuts, the DDA this year will be unable to light all areas of The Big, Bright Light Show, including Main Street north of University, the Snowflake Spectacular and Fourth Street, according to the DDA.  

On Oct. 15, the DDA launched a Kickstarter Campaign to restore the lights, dubbing the campaign “Miracle on Fourth Street.”  If the DDA raises $27,000 by Friday, Nov. 1, the lights will be restored to Fourth Street.

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LINK: Check out the Miracle on Fourth Street campaign on Kickstarter 

Kickstarter is a crowd-sourced funding platform, where various projects, including films, art projects and gadgets receive funding pledges from donors to help reach a predetermined goal. Awards are offered at different funding levels as incentives to prospective donors. As of 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, the DDA had 96 backers pledging a total of $6,130 toward its $27,000 goal.

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According to the DDA, Downtown Rochester is the first downtown in the country to use Kickstarter for a fundraising project such as this. Various downtown businesses have offered funding awards for different donor levels. The "Miracle on Fourth Street" campaign features gift certificates and merchandise from more than 40 downtown businesses, including the Rochester Chop House, Fieldstone Winery, The Meeting House, Moon River Soap Company, Red Knapp’s and Kimi K Salon & Spa.

“The Big, Bright Light Show has been a tradition in Downtown Rochester for eight years," Kristi Trevarrow, Executive Director of the Rochester Downtown Development Authority (DDA), said in a news release.  “We hope that our campaign is successful so we can restore the lights to Fourth Street and help those businesses have a successful holiday season.”


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