January 22, 2008 Contact: Sue Baker
For Immediate Release 738-2000
St. Patrick and St. Joseph's Day
WARWICK – Mayor Scott Avedisian announced today that, due to budgetary considerations and dwindling attendance, the city will not host its annual event to mark the feast days of St. Patrick and St. Joseph this year.
Avedisian said that, in recent years, he and event organizers have noticed that fewer members of the general public have been attending the celebration, with the majority of the audience comprised of a handful of elected officials, employees who help run the event and parents/chaperones of students who participate in the program’s dance or musical numbers.
In the past several years, the city has cut back on the amount of food ordered for the day, Avedisian said. Nevertheless, all told, it still costs roughly $1,500 for food and entertainment for the morning’s festivities.
“Although $1,500 may not seem like a lot, when we’re looking at things we can do to save money, the state is cutting aid, and our non-profit partners are struggling to meet budget, every bit is going to help this year,” he said. “After discussing the issue, we decided that it just did not make sense to move forward with the event this year.”
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