Festival lost sponsor for annual event
By Ed Nadolski
Editor in Chief
Due to the loss of sponsorship, organizers of Burlington’s ChocolateFest have tentatively cancelled the fireworks display that annually lit up the festival’s opening evening.
Festival President Bil Scherrer said organizers initially sought new sponsorship for the display but were unable to replace the annual contribution formerly made by Runzheimer.
The Waterford-based business consulting firm – which had sponsored the fireworks for years – was sold to an out-of-state private equity firm in early 2018.
Scherrer said the company’s former chairman, Rex Runzheimer, was a generous supporter of the festival, donating $20,000 in recent years with $15,000 of that total going toward the fireworks display.
He said Rex Runzheimer even joined crews that fired off the fireworks at the festival grounds.
“Rex was great,” Scherrer said. “We just didn’t know how long it would go on (after the company was sold).”
Festival organizers got their answer in the past year as preparations for this year’s festival were made.
Scherrer said he hasn’t ruled out new sponsors stepping up revive the show in the week’s heading up to ChocolateFest, which runs May 24 through 27 this year.
Organizers of Milwaukee’s Big Bang July 3 fireworks faced a similar dilemma recently when longtime sponsor U.S. Bank announced it last year that the 2018 show would be it’s last as sponsor.
Organizers were on the verge of cancelling this year’s Big Bang earlier this month when the Milwaukee Brewers, American Family Insurance and philanthropist Ted Kellner announced they have teamed up to sponsor the 2019 display.
While the ChocolateFest fireworks display is on a much smaller scale, it was nonetheless appreciated by festival-goers and area residents who crowded the area surrounding the festival grounds for the display each year.
Scherrer said festival organizers were forced to proceed with printing promotional materials without the fireworks included.
“Unless someone steps forward and gives us a check for x-amount we won’t be doing it this year,” Scherrer said.
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