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Mostly Cloudy Petition to save Quiksilver festival draws hundreds of signatures
City Manager: “It’s too late”
When Long Beach residents Jason Alegria and Frank Caputo learned that the festival portion of the Quiksilver Pro New York event — including music, BMX and motocross events — was cancelled on Tuesday, both said they were trying to save the events that many residents and businesses had been anticipating, one that was aimed at stimulating the local economy.
“We got the news about the festival early Tuesday,” Alegria said. “We decided to try to do something — we created a petition that night.”
On Tuesday and Wednesday, Alegria and Caputo announced via e-mail and on their Facebook pages that they were launching a petition to reignite the competition’s attendant festival.
After the city announced on Tuesday that the festival would be canceled due to the impact of Hurricane Irene, Alegria and Caputo were just two local young people and music fans seeking the signatures of those Long Beach residents who were affected by the storm, but were in support of the festival event in its entirety.
The print petition was circulated Wednesday, enough to acquire about 2,000 signatures. Throughout Wednesday, the men dropped off copies at businesses on both the East and West End of Long Beach, including Swingbellys, NY Threads, The Cabana, Ooh la la, and Minnesota's restaurant, to name a few.
The petition states: “I hereby support the continuation of the music and festival portion of the 2011 Quiksilver Pro ASP surf contest, whether on time or delayed. I am aware of the efforts required to repair the damage caused to the city by Hurricane Irene. However as a Long Beach resident who has been affected by the storm, I feel that the festival in its entirety will be beneficial and supportive to the overall well-being of the community.”
“My initial reaction was, ‘not surprised,’” said Caputo, who lives in East Atlantic Beach. “I feel like Long Beach is the city of no. We want to show we have a voice.”
Both were able to garner a handful of volunteers, including Long Beach resident Michael Camhi, who helped generate signatures. Camhi, like many others in the city, said that he was in “utter disbelief” when he learned of the festival’s cancellation.
