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North Ogden council outlines Cherry Days schedule, seeks volunteers and $40,000 in fundraising
Summary
Council members reviewed the 2026 Cherry Days schedule, identified volunteer roles for council members and staff, and endorsed a $40,000 fundraising target to reduce reliance on sales-tax funding; staff will circulate sponsor flyers and sign-up sheets.
Council members reviewed the proposed schedule and duties for 2026 Cherry Days and discussed how to staff events and raise money to keep the celebration largely donor-funded.
The meeting opened a broad planning conversation about next summer's activities, with staff walking the council through weeklong programming: Monday's car show and kids market, a Wednesday luau and grand marshal dinner, a rodeo midweek and the traditional full Saturday slate of Cherry Days events. Staff asked council members to commit to serving as the official city presence at specific events and to help recruit donors.
John Call, staff presenter, said the city is seeking roughly $40,000 in donations this year so that more event costs are covered by private sponsors rather than sales-tax revenues. He outlined sponsorship tiers ranging from $5,000 title-sponsor levels down to $500 event-level contributions and offered a one-page flyer staff will provide to council members for outreach.
Resident Kevin Burns praised staff responsiveness to neighborhood maintenance and highlighted community fundraising energy: “They packed Arctic Circle with their fundraiser standing room only,” he said, noting that such neighborhood events demonstrate why residents value and want to protect community traditions.
Council members and staff discussed specific assignments: who could serve as master of ceremonies for the luau and concert, who would help at the car show and vendor market, and who could join cleanup crews the morning after the fireworks on July 5. The group also flagged parade safety concerns and agreed to discourage throwing candy from vehicles, favoring volunteers walking along the route or youth council members handing out candy at close range.
Staff noted volunteer supports such as event shirts identifying council members, a youth-council fundraising role (the youth council raised about $3,500 last year by selling drinks), and operational help from public-works crews to handle heavy lifting during setup. The city will circulate a Google sheet to coordinate fundraising contacts and track who has approached which local businesses.
The council agreed to continue outreach and to return with volunteer sign-ups and updated sponsorship commitments ahead of the summer season.
The work session did not include a formal vote on Cherry Days funding; staff said they will return to a future meeting with flyers, sponsor lists and any contracts tied to fundraising or event production.
