Friends of Del Mar parks launch ‘Paint the Town Yellow’

DEL MAR — In an effort to enroll another 250 Del Mar residents in the fundraising efforts for Del Mar Shores Park, the Friends of Del Mar Parks is launching a friendly neighborhood competition to see which of the nine neighborhoods can attain the highest participation, as demonstrated by the number of yellow yard signs posted at supporters’ homes. The contest runs Aug. 1 through Sept.18, and concludes with Del Mar Shores Septemberfest celebration Sept. 20 at Del Mar Shores Park.
Joe Sullivan, president of the Friends, said with just less than 500 supporters, he is confident the contest can achieve its goal.
“We have contributors at all levels, and we have raised $5,454,000 to date, so it is clear that Del Mar Shores Park is important to our community,” Sullivan said. “Now we want to get everyone involved in reaching the goal to pay off the city’s loan on the property.”
The contest will be conducted primarily through e-mail with current supporters sending e-mails asking neighbors without a yellow yard sign to join the team and make a contribution. The neighborhood with the greatest percentage of supporters at the end of the campaign, signified by yellow signs, will win a neighborhood block party at a location of their choice. The nine identified neighborhoods include Beach Colony, Stratford/Bluffs, Sunset, North Hills, South Hills, Village Center, Ocean Pines, Del Mar Heights and Carmel Valley Road.
At the start of the campaign, the Ocean Pines neighborhood is leading with 31 percent participation. The Sunset neighborhood is in second place with 23 percent, followed closely by North Hills at 22 percent and Village Center at 21 percent. Residents can see a detailed map of the neighborhoods and find out more about the Paint the Town Yellow contest at www.delmarshores.org, or by calling (858) 481-4201.