On Thursday, June 19, the JS Online reported that Les Johns, the Bay View Lion’s Club chairman, stated that the Lions Club was $20,000 short in funds needed to present the 59th annual South Shore Frolics. Apparently, there was enough corporate sponsorship for many of the events that are held during the Frolics weekend, except for one. Unless someone, or a group of people, come up with $20,000 soon, there will be no South Shore Frolics parade next month.

I immediately thought of a couple of things that could possibly be done to help defray some of the cost that is needed to hold the parade. For one thing, I thought that some of the local food and beverage establishments could get together all throw in an equal amount of money until the $20,000 is raised. Anybody that has ever been to the Frolics parade knows that a lot of people there are enjoying a frosty adult beverage or two while watching the parade go by. Some of them then go to a local establishment for lunch after the parade is over. The JS article estimates the parade is seen by "30,000 to 40,000 people". That’s a potentially huge audience for any possible sponsors, or group of sponsors, to reach. Obviously, with that many people along the route, a lot of them will be from outside of Bay View and may not have been exposed to some of the businesses that make Bay View the great place it is. Why stop with local food and drink establishments? What about the foot traffic that comes into businesses up and down the parade route on the day of the parade? I don’t have hard numbers, but I would imagine that businesses in Bay View see an upturn in sales the weekend of the Frolics. Without the parade, a piece of these profits will be lost.

Another idea I thought of to help the Frolics make more money is how about not letting people carry in their own food and drinks to the movie and fireworks at night? Will this make some people mad? Yeah, sure it will, we’re inherently thrifty down here (sounds better than cheap), but if the profits from food and drink sales go directly back into the Frolics, I think that most people would understand. For the Frolics to continue, some sacrifices will have to be made. If it comes down to buying the family a round of sodas in the park instead of bringing some from home, it sure beats the alternative of having to stay home to drink them because there’s no Frolics to go too, doesn’t it?

A friend of mine who we lovingly refer to the as "The Mayor of Bay View" around our house calls the Frolics, "Christmas In July". I think that’s a pretty apt comparison and the parade is the opening of the gifts in that analogy, the one thing that ties in all the aspects together. People get up early, reserve a seat, children practice their candy snatching techniques. The parade has been anticipated by both area kids and adults for 58 years. If the Frolics don’t get some help, it’ll be another long year of anticipation and an abnormally quiet morning, on a day that should be anything but, in Bay View.

Any person or business that can help is urged to contact Les Johns at lbjohns@att.net.