Another New Years Eve, another disappointing event for Boise.
The second annual Potato Drop demonstrates just how out-of-date and inexperienced our city can be when it comes to celebrations.
The Idaho New Year’s Commission website boasted:
“On Dec. 31st 2013, we made national and world news by dropping a 17 foot long lit-up potato from the US Bank Plaza in downtown Boise to commemorate the new year and Idaho’s sesquicentennial. Tens of thousands filled the streets, spanning the Grove Plaza through the 8th street promenade. DJ’s kept people dancing inside the VIP lounge, while partygoers outside boogied to live music while reveling at the 17 foot potato effigy…”
Wow, from the way they tell it Boise’s event was on the tips of everyone’s tongue’s around the nation last NYE. In fact, on the main page of the website was clip from MSNBC of the Potato drop last year with the caption “BOISE GETS NOISY!!”
Despite the gratuitous amount of exclamation marks flung out by the MSNBC producers, the video made the Potato looked more like something you find in your toilet rather than your dinner plate.
But that was all in the past, right? This year promises to be bigger and better, yes?
Again the Idaho New Year’s Commission wants to think so:
“The 2nd annual Idaho Potato Drop promises to be bigger and better than last year. We have more than doubled our footprint with three stages, national recording artists, and a new drop location in the cross section of 8th and Main. KTVB and Impact Radio Group will be on hand, airing a live hour-long televised production on NBC while broadcasting live across 5 radio stations. There will also be an exciting new addition to the Idaho Potato and an amazing firework display to cap off 2014 and ring in the new year!”
Whoa, what an exciting event! Doubled our footprint….three stages…national recording artists…amazing firework display.
Ok, I was willing to give it a shot and headed downtown to check out the event Wednesday night.
First thing I noticed was despite the abundance of vendors and stages littered throughout downtown, nobody seemed to be out enjoying the festivities!
Perhaps the cold weather kept people in, or perhaps the event was overextended (at least six square blocks were blocked off as far as I could tell), or perhaps people were worn out (inebriated) from watching the Fiesta Bowl earlier in the day.
Regardless, there did not seem to be anyone enjoying the “national” recording artists on the “three” stages.
Eventually, I made my way to the Piper Pub to watch the Potato drop. I noticed though that the NYE Commission did not make any deals with the downtown bars. It would have been nice to pay just one 20 dollar cover and have access to the majority of the bars. Instead the NYE Commission offered a “VIP party” at Flatbread for the small price of 100 dollars.
This price tag did not come with an open bar, but “one free drink and party favors.” Not quite my scene, but perhaps it was a good time. I don’t know, I didn’t go.
The NYE Commission also offered a VIP pass to a beer garden on the Grove for 50 dollars. A little more affordable, but again it did not come with drink tickets just “one free drink and party favors.”
Alright whatever, maybe the NYE Commission did the best they could to work with local merchants.
But what about the actual Potato drop and this “amazing” firework display?!
Again, the drop and display left much to be desired.
The streets were full on 8th and Main and it appeared people actually did make it out to see the Drop. I was stationed on the balcony of Piper Pub and had a great view of the Drop.
I was not impressed. First of all, the potato still looked like it was created on a tight budget. Rather than an Idaho Spud, it looked like an amorphous blob the size of an SUV. Second, the “drop” was simply lowering the damn thing down on a crane about 30 feet. The potato went from about 150 feet to about 120 feet and then just stopped and sat there. I honestly didn’t know that the clock had turned and they new year was upon us based upon the potato’s decent. Finally, the “amazing” firework display looked like some kids set off a few motors. The whole thing lasted about 10 seconds.
And just like that it was over. A far cry from the wild event the NYE Commission hyped it to be.
So, what can we do to improve it?
A few suggestions:
1. Downsize and consolidate. Instead of having three stages and a bunch of streets blocked off, start small and the build on successes. Lets have one stage set up, perhaps on the corner of 8th and Idaho, and lets block off main street from 8th to 5th street since drunk people will be wandering around there anyways. Position the vendors within the alley way underneath piper pub so people wont freeze their butts off in the street and vendors might enjoy more foot traffic.
2. Create affordable options and work with local bars. Ok so maybe you feel like blowing the 100 bucks at Flatbread for the VIP party. But what if you want to frequent the local bars and are working on a budget? I hope the NYE Commission works with the downtown bars to create a one time cover fee so patrons don’t have to spend 10 dollars here and 10 dollars there to bar-hop.
3. Rethink the potato and drop. I don’t know if the potato is really the right thing to drop for Idaho. I know we are the potato state and have famous Idaho potatoes, but has anyone ever even been to a potato farm? Where are these things? Plus the potato commission already has a stranglehold on our state (think licences plates, famous Idaho potato bowl, exc.). I personally am sick of being labled the “potato state.” Perhaps its time to rebrand our image if we want to attract those high paying jobs. Here is a list of things we could drop instead: a giant semi-conductor, a giant Salmon, a giant hop, a giant Otter (think Butch), a dairy cow, a bushel of wheat or barley, a red elephant (think Idaho GOP), a giant Boise State Bronco logo (sorry Vandals).
Whatever we drop, lets make it a bit more exciting. Instead of crane slowly lowering down an effigy, lets put whatever it is on a huge poll and have it slide down like the Times Square Ball. When it hits the bottom, then bust out the fireworks, sparks, light show, whatever. Just make sure its more epic then 10 seconds of motors.
A Better Boise 