DJ’s Kickstarter for a safer Halloween celebration gets fully funded in final week
Exactly one week before the “Athens HallOUween 40” Kickstarter campaign was scheduled to end, it had only raised 37 percent of its $4,000 goal a month after going live.
The next day, that number jumped to 57 percent, and the day before the campaign was to close, it was fully funded and even earned a small surplus.
Brandon “DJ B-Funk” Thompson created the campaign on Kickstarter, a crowd-funding website, to raise $4,000 to purchase an official security wall for this year’s Halloween Block Party. The campaign closed Monday with $4,118 from 88 backers.
Barriers are going to be rented from Hughies Event Production Services for about $2,650. The barriers are sold by section so one can construct the wall as needed. Thompson said they will rent 10 sections to put in front of the Lokoween stage, in the parking lot between Lucky’s Sports Tavern and Attractions Salon, and 20 sections to put in front of the north stage.
Jonathan Holmberg said no barriers will be purchased for the south stage as they have never had problems there. The north stage is typically rowdier because the individuals buy alcohol at Dale’s BP and the crowd walks up Mill Street, he said.
Thompson said about $400 will go toward extra lighting on the north stage this year “for the crowd’s benefit.” Some money will also be used to fund the T-shirt perks for those who donated $100 or more to the Kickstarter.
The leftover money will mostly be used to create a nest egg for next year’s block party, roughly $950.
Thompson realized the need for greater security and safety after experiencing a major problem during last year’s celebration. A barrier broke at the north stage, near Dale’s BP, during his performance and a concern for the performer and his equipment grew as attendees attempted to climb on stage.
Thompson said he had thought the campaign would take off quickly and was disheartened and even frustrated with the slow start. The campaign began Sept. 10, and on Sept. 22, it had only raised $782 from 24 backers, according to a previous Post article.
In fact, Thompson said he and the Athens Clean and Safe Halloween Committee, which organizes the block party each year, actually made arrangements to make this year’s celebration work without the desired barriers.
“I thought a lot more people would be interested, but that just wasn’t the case,” he said.
Then in the week before Homecoming Weekend, the campaign raised more than $2,500. That’s $1,000 more than the campaign had raised in the entire three weeks prior.
Thompson said the people he directly reached out to comprise most of the campaign’s supporters.
“They just really changed my whole outlook on what people can do,” he said. “They just wanted to see Halloween be what it should be.”
Thompson said the two $500 donations from Prokos Rentals and from his friend and Ohio University alumnus Jason Hewson really gave the campaign its last-minute momentum.
“We think it’s good entertainment for the students,” said Demetrios Prokos, owner of Prokos Rentals. “We believe it also puts Athens on the map … If we’re doing something from Prokos Rentals, it has to be good for our tenants.”
Hewson was raised in Athens and graduated from OU in 2004. He said he wanted to donate because Halloween was such a huge part of his childhood. Hewson said he will attend the block party this year.
“Honestly, I just wanted to give something back to them,” he said. “(Growing up in Athens) made it so Halloween is my favorite time of year … It’s been a huge thing in my life since.”
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