Borrego Sun - Since 1949

The Chamber of Commerce met behind closed doors recently to hash out this years big question. ‘Do we lose Borrego Days or do we make it work?’ The answer – we make it work and go forward. “There will be changes in fundraising, staging and budget” said Executive Director Linda Haddock. But the decision will come as a great relief to the majority of residents and businesses in town.

There has been a lot of toing and froing as to whether it should continue following its financial loss last year. “We cannot lose Borrego Days.” says Patrick Sampson, Chairman of the chamber, “It is like the firing of a flare that lights up Borrego Springs and signals to our customers and visitors that we are open and ready for business.”

People have been asking why there was a $41k loss on a festival that has garnered 51-years of support and recognition. “The main reason,” explained Haddock, “was that some of the proposed sponsors did not come through, thus leaving a big financial hole. This year we are looking to bring in private individuals as sponsors as well as the corporate ones.” A significant change will be that in addition to supporting a long-standing event, private sponsors will gain recognition.

One bone of contention has been with the way the bar has been run over recent years. The American Legion took on the project initially before de Anza stepped in for 2016. “The beer garden will undergo changes to make it become a main profit centre for the event,” stressed Haddock “this c