Over the last several months, Breckenridge staff members have been tasked with improving an unfavorable trend impacting revenue streams at local businesses during a key summer holiday.

After collaborating with professionals in the arts and entertainment realm, they think they found a remedy.

During a Jan. 14 Breckenridge Town Council meeting, assistant recreation director Jon Dorr and council member Marika Paige presented elected officials with an idea that the town’s event committee has looked into to solve the problem of visitors ditching town once the Fourth of July fireworks are over.

Dorr explained the feedback received by the town from the surrounding community was: “Why aren’t there more people in town after the parade? … We aren’t seeing the same hotel visits or the same restaurant visits,” he said.

The event committee teamed up with local arts nonprofit Breck Create and began exploring the possibility of a large-scale exhibition by a Dutch artist called SPARK. 

Artist Daan Roosegaarde’s SPARK exhibits are firefly-inspired light shows, and Breckenridge is looking to make it a four-day event, according to documents presented at the Jan. 14 meeting.  

“The intention is to be a replacement of fireworks lighting up the whole sky and center of town, but it is more contemplative and quiet,” Breck Create’s Karlie McLaughlin said, describing the experience to be “immersive.”

She said the exhibition will likely be viewable from numerous areas of town, have less environmental impacts than fireworks and is more dark-sky compliant than fireworks. Officials voiced appreciation for these aspects since the town is looking to become a certified International Dark Sky Community. 

Daan Roosegaarde’s studio told the Summit Daily News that if the town goes through with the idea, it will be the United States premiere of SPARK.

Documents presented at the Jan. 14 meeting noted the town anticipates “national press” from the event. 

Page said the event’s committee also discussed the possibility of having SPARK be tied to the Breckenridge International Festival of Arts instead. 

Mayor Kelly Owens said she’d favor the show on the Fourth of July, noting it could be paired with a National Repertory Orchestra performance. 

Council member Steve Gerard referred to the concept as a “make Breckenridge newsworthy event” and said it will likely be more effective in getting visitors to stay in town than fireworks. 

Council member Dick Carleton agreed and said the concept was “worth continued research.”

Council members Carol Saade and Todd Rankin also showed approval for staff members continuing to look into the concept. 

“Please talk to the business community (first)…. and (explore) what possible ramifications could it have that we can look at and address,” council member Jay Beckerman said, noting he supported the idea and felt it fits the town’s goal of drawing visitors and providing an event locals will find interest in as well. 

McLaughlin responded it would be a perfect opportunity to partner with the retail and restaurant community to boost their business. 

“To some degree, (this) needs a dark-sky environment, and so that would require lots of communication and conversations with businesses on Main Street,” she said. ” Maybe (we could encourage) candlelight dinners at restaurants in the center of town.”

What was outlined as a “conservative” cost estimate for the exhibit came out to $299,750. Around $50,000 of that would be allocated for shipping material from where Roosegaarde is based in the Netherlands.

No official decisions were made at the Jan. 14 meeting. Documents presented at the meeting detail a final decision should be made before the end of January, and town staff members said they would rehash the topic with officials at its Jan. 28 meeting.