The City of Covington had to make some tough cuts to its 2020-21 budget after realizing it would lose around $400,000 a year due to the passage of Initiative 976. One of those decisions was to cut the annual Covington Days Parade.
This didn’t sit well with Covington residents and local businesses.
Now the Covington Days Parade has found new life thanks to the help of the Covington Chamber of Commerce and MultiCare Health System. With a $12,000 donation to fund the parade, MultiCare will be named the festival’s presenting sponsor for 2020, according to a city press release.
“When our business members started hearing about the parade budget cut, I received multiple phone calls expressing their disappointment,” Jennifer Liggett, the Covington Chamber of Commerce’s Executive Director, stated in the press release. “I immediately contacted the city and confirmed that if I could find a suitable sponsor to fund the parade, the city would still be able to include it.”
Liggett quickly went to work to come up with a plan to save the parade. With over 90 participants from local businesses representing the Chamber of Commerce in the parade, Liggett knew it was very important to at least try to help, and she didn’t have to look far. When Liggett contacted MultiCare, which operates MultiCare Covington Medical Center, the owners immediately wanted to be a part of the plan.
“MultiCare staff are among the hundreds of people who enjoy the parade every year, so there was no question that we would participate,” Taylor Rose, MultiCare Covington Campus Administrator and a Covington Chamber of Commerce Board Member, stated in the press release. “We saw this as a valuable opportunity to support a favorite community event and the local businesses that participate.”
MultiCare will contribute $12,000 to fund the 2020 Covington Days Festival Parade, which covers expenses like police and public works staffing for road closures, planning/preparation, and materials and supplies.
“We are very grateful that the Covington Chamber of Commerce and MultiCare were willing to step up and help when they saw a need,” stated Regan Bolli, Covington’s City Manager. “It is partnerships like this that bring our community together and make it even stronger.”
The MultiCare Covington Days Festival Parade will take place at 10 a.m. Saturday, July 18, 2020. Community members, organizations and businesses wishing to participate in the parade, which is free to do, can visit the festival website at www.covingtonwa.gov/
