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Main Street warns parade entries are low; staff offers incentives and new event mapping
Summary
With Founders' Day a month away, Main Street director Antoine told council that parade entries are at roughly 3% of the 30‑entry target. Staff plans marketing pushes, a vendor map, event landing pages and possible incentives (video promotion) to boost participation; council discussed whether to reconceive Founders' Day if entries remain scarce.
Antoine, Zephyrhills’ Main Street director, told council Feb. 23 that Founders' Day, the associated music festival, parade and a newly announced fish fry are moving forward but that parade recruitment is trailing: staff needs at least 30 entries to run the parade and reported very low signups at the time of the presentation. Antoine said Main Street and a marketing contractor (HCP) are producing event graphics, an event map, a parade route map and a landing page with logistics to make participation easier.
Councilmembers suggested incentives to increase participation, including a video promotion prize for the best entry or vendor, and discussed alternative Founders' Day formats if the parade does not attract adequate participants. Antoine reported ongoing outreach to schools, civic groups and past participants and said the board is willing to meet again in a fortnight to provide a status update.
Antoine also highlighted social‑media metrics and engagement: staff reported a large increase in Facebook views and follower gains and are using those channels to promote events and recruit parade entries. The council directed staff to continue marketing and to return with a parade sign‑up update at an earlier-than-usual cadence to ensure decisions can be made before event deadlines.
