Geneseo Chamber seeking Music Fest parade sponsor

When the Geneseo Music Festival parade steps off on Father’s Day, whose name will be at the front?

The Geneseo Chamber of Commerce is seeking a new sponsor for the annual parade.

“The parade has a huge audience. It’s a way to show your name, your brand to thousands of people,” said Jim Kelly, executive director of the Geneseo Chamber of Commerce.

Vibrant Credit Union has sponsored the parade for the past six years, announced last year that the 2018 parade would be their final one as sponsor.

However Jerica Minton, of Vibrant Credit Union, has offered to meet with and offer guidance to the next group to sponsor the parade, said Kelly.

“When people hear the word ‘sponsor’ they think it’s a lot of money. It’s not. Vibrant bought trophies for the winners and had a few banners. I think the most they spent was $200,” said Kelly.

The next sponsors won’t have to start from scratch to organize the parade, either.

“We have it all — the parade check list, the route, the invitation list, the line up, the judging forms, everything,” said Kelly.

Approximately 10 volunteers are needed on the day of the parade — this year it will be Sunday, June 16 — to help organize the parade line up.

“People ask if it’s so easy to organize, why doesn’t the chamber do it,” said Kelly. “Unfortunately, we have so much more on our plate organizing the Music Festival events at the park.”

Though he’s sent out requests for a parade sponsor with recent chamber newsletters, Kelly said he’s received “no leads.”

“I don’t even have anyone who’s stepped to the plate to ask me about it,” he said.

The sponsor could be a business, church, civic group or club.

“We’d prefer it to be (an entity) from Geneseo,” said Kelly. “And we hope whatever group wants to step up will say, ‘That was easy, can we do it again next year?’”

For more information or to volunteer to sponsor the parade, contact the Geneseo Chamber of Commerce office at (309) 944-2686.