Potential Sponsor May Save NJ Festival Of Ballooning For 2020

READINGTON, NJ — Just at the last minute a potential sponsor has come forward to possibly save the highly popular and anticipated annual New Jersey Festival of Ballooning from being cancelled for 2020, festival officials say.

Howard Freeman, executive producer of the festival, said the deadline to find a new sponsor was Friday after QuickChek decided to pull out. The deadline ensures there is enough time to plan for the festival for this upcoming July. (See Related: NJ Festival Of Ballooning Could Be Canceled, Needs Sponsor)

However, Freeman said he got a call on Jan. 28 from an agency representing a client.

"By Wednesday we sent over a proposal and they liked it but the senior executive was out of town until late [Tuesday]," Freeman said on Monday. "So we extended the deadline."

Freeman expects he should have an answer on whether the festival will continue for 2020 by this upcoming Friday.

"I am cautiously optimistic," Freeman said.

However, waiting to see if the tradition of the festival will continue is nerve-racking.

"It's like getting a call from the warden at the last minute because the festival was headed towards the electric chair," Freeman said of the entire situation.

For the past 27 years, QuickChek was the title sponsor of the event. This year they are going in a different "direction."

Freeman noted QuickChek has new marketing strategists this year that want to invest their money in their new stores and digital marketing instead.

Without a title sponsor the festival is in jeopardy of not continuing in 2020, which would be the event's 37th year in operation.

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