Charging for Superday ruined the spirit of the event

BY NATALIA JOHNSON

This is to those running Cheyenne Superday as well as to Mayor Marian Orr:

I am writing to convey my deep disappointment with the way the event went this year. 

I love Superday. It has the potential to bring a small bit of magic the Capital City,

Hundreds turn out every year for Superday in Cheyenne.

yet you're pricing us out! You advertise a free event, yet you're charging for parking and $30 for an armband.

I know you received $50,000 from a sponsorship by Holly Frontier as many other large businesses’ sponsorships. I have previously been on the board for Freedom Has a Birthday in Laramie, an event with 10,000 plus people in attendance. So I do understand the scope and know exactly what it costs to host a community event such as this. 

The city of Laramie provides or makes darn sure everything is sponsored, so it remains a free event. It does not sit well with me that the city of Cheyenne was unwilling to provide even one free bounce house for the children and families who came.

Yes, there were other free activities. But they were sponsored by other organizations who also paid to be vendors there.

Even if one long-lined, big attraction could have been provided, it could have made a positive difference. Every child who came to the event saw the bounce houses, ropes courses, petting zoo and trampolines and, naturally, wanted to participate.

The lines every year are atrocious, and I've always wondered why more attractions aren't budgeted and more sponsors organized to cut down on the lines. But it was free, so no one complained. Year after year people returned and children stood in horribly long lines with smiles on their faces. 

This year it was not free, and the advertisements you provided were misleading. There were children standing in horribly long lines with smiles on their faces and tickets in their hands and then there were other children not holding tickets and not smiling. These children were not able to pet the animals or scale the climbing wall, only able to wish they could.

We already have Cheyenne Frontier Days and an armband. There, it cost $30. Did you feel your attractions are on the same par with carnival rides? I don’t.

In my opinion, your event wasn't even priced fairly! The pricing took advantage of our community. CFD provides a lot of fancy, top-notch entertainment and it's also cost prohibitive for many families. Superday has historically been something that everyone could look forward to without breaking the bank. 

Cheyenne needs a SUPER day. We need an affordable day to unite and be grateful for our community. 

I grew up in Cheyenne and knew children who had nothing else to look forward to besides this. Not much has changed. There are still children in our community who need this day! 

An expensive armband has separated the “haves” from the “have nots.” There are so many children in our community who grow up without the advantage of travel, camps and enrichment classes. Shame on City Hall for not coming through for that demographic this summer. This event has, in the past, accomplished this. It has the potential to do so in the future!

I am writing as someone who believes in this event, someone who is grateful for the extreme number of work hours that go into it. I know the impact an event like this has for a community. It can be a significant morale boost, a day in the sunshine we all can share.

The sponsors, the volunteers: They deserve credit. They worked hard to make it a fun day. The criticism doesn't fall to them. We need more volunteers, more sponsors, more city investment. The event has the potential to be SUPER again We just need the right leaders behind it. 

Charging for everything, including parking, tickets/armbands, vendors, artists for the chalk walk, what is the purpose of this event? And where does the money go? Is the budget for this event public? Is there a public board for this event, and how are members selected? 

How can the city work to get more volunteers and more sponsors? Is there a strategic planning meeting following the event that the public could take part in that might lead to better outcomes?

Is the mayor aware of the structure of this event? If so how could she allow this to happen? 

Who is accountable to hearing my complaints and answering my questions?

Natalia Johnson is the owner of Abundance Creative Arts in Laramie. She is an educator dedicated to serving children and families in Wyoming. She grew up in Cheyenne and currently lives in Laramie.