Popular event will be back, so be ‘ready to party’

PRESCOTT — Sisters Elizabeth Gergen, Annie Valentine and Angela Magee weren’t going to let down their grandma!

After there was no Prescott Daze festival last year, the three have stepped up to run the popular festival, held the weekend after Labor Day.

“My grandma loves Prescott Daze more than life itself,” Gergen said. “No one was stepping up to bat. As sisters, we thought we should do it as a group effort.”

There are some changes in how Prescott Daze is structured, on the City of Prescott’s end. The event has always been under the city’s liability insurance. For that to happen, the Prescott Daze Committee will become an “official” city group, with legally-posted meetings. All voting members must be city residents, appointed by the mayor. Also, the Prescott Fire Department, which has been the hub of activity from Saturday afternoon on at previous festivals, has elected not to host those events this year.

“It was a big blow. They’ve been a big part of Prescott Daze as a whole,” said Gergen. “They’re going to help with some things still, so we’re happy about that.”

The Prescott Fire Department released the following statement last week: “After much thought and consideration, we as a department have voted to modify our primary fundraising events, which

See PRESCO44 DA!E, P56e 8 have traditionally coincided with Prescott Daze.

“While we will no longer hold our events at the Prescott Fire Hall during Prescott Daze in September, our members will continue to volunteer and support Prescott Daze events, such as the kids’ events in the park, the car show and the Grand Parade on Sunday. It is our hope that this change allows for more people to take part in the events organized by the Prescott Daze Committee and other community organizations that work so hard to put on the successful Prescott Daze celebration we all know and love.”

As part of becoming a city committee and under the city liability insurance, the event will also need other community organizations to step up and oversee events that weekend where beer is sold.

“We’re working on that,” said Gergen. “We have a couple groups we’re talking to.”

In the past, the three sisters have organized the street dance, and Gergen guarantees that’s still going to happen.

City Administrator Jayne Brand said Saturday events will likely center around the Prescott American Legion Post, which will serve chicken dinners.

“And Bingo will be back!” Brand said.

The Legion had to cease its Bingo fundraisers and chicken fries because of the pandemic, which put them in financial hardship.

Gergen said to keep an eye on the Prescott Daze Facebook page and the city website for information on when the next Prescott Daze Committee meeting will be held.

“We really need a lot of help. It takes a lot of people to run Prescott Daze. One person doesn’t run it. It’s a group of small groups. Volunteerism is really down, and we need the community to step up and help us,” she said. “It takes nine months normally to plan this, so we’re really behind.”

So far, the organization has been working with Pierce County Public Health and the city on putting together a safe event.

“We’re working with Public Health. The city has worked with us and has decided to let us move forward. We’re hoping that by September things will be a lot more clear and we won’t be having problems with COVID,” said Gergen.

The organizers know one thing: Prescott is ready for the return of Prescott Daze.

“People are ready to party,” said Gergen. “We’re so excited. We’ve got big things planned. We’re coming back in a big way. My sister likes to call Prescott Daze the most wonderful time of the year, because it makes us so happy. We love it.”