Creators rev up for One Spark opening ceremony

Crowdfunding festival runs today through Sunday

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Excitement was building Tuesday for the opening ceremony for One Spark 2015.

The celebration from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at Hemming Park is free and open to the public and will be followed by a free concert featuring Echosmith & Mates of State.

Creators were out in Hemming Park and the surrounding blocks during the day Tuesday, getting ready for the much-anticipated start of the third annual crowdfunding festival, billed as the largest such event in the world.

"It takes months of preparation and luckily we did it last year, so we learned a lot of lessons, so this is our second year and we're happy about that," said Mitch Woodlief of the Grottow Wine Bar and Restaurant. "What we are doing is some pulled pork sliders, we're doing chicken patties … and an ale. We're doing some jalapeño poppers, fried pickles, and you know ubiquitous french fries."

The Grotto is part of the added dining and entertainment options, which include a food village on Laura Street with restaurants from the San Marco dining district.

ONLINE:  One Spark event schedule

This year there will be 555 projects in 71 venues across 20 blocks of downtown Jacksonville.  The city of Jacksonville says the event has $1.8 million economic impact on local economy. With 250,000 people attending the festival last year, organizers said now it is one of the top 20 festivals in attendance in the US.

For creators, that means a lot of exposure, so many said they've added more to make it fun for people who come out, especially families.

"It's super energized," said Amy Saltmarsh of M Hospitality. "We're just really glad to have the opportunity, and we really enjoyed working with the San Marco dining district, so that's kind of a fun part of it, but we're just ready to serve food."

Serial entrepreneur Jeff Hoffman, one of the founders of Priceline.com is a global mentor to entrepreneurs.

The food, which includes popular Jacksonville food trucks, is on Laura Street, starting at Adams Street.

One Spark kicked off Tuesday with its Speaker Summit from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. at the Florida Theatre with headliner Jack Welch, former General Electric CEO and author.

There is also the new One Spark App. People can download it now and start scoping out their favorite creators even before they come downtown to vote for them.

MAPS & MORE ONLINE: Street closures | Public transportation, parking

Traffic and parking will be big issues Tuesday through Sunday as several downtown streets will be closed. Mayor Alvin Brown and One Spark co-founder Elton Rivas said they have worked together for months to make the event a success.

To make getting there easier, the Jacksonville Transportation Authority is providing free skyway rides this year, extending hours and adding several bus routes during the festival. There will even be free parking at certain lots.

It's part of an effort to streamline traffic because the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office will be closing many roads downtown during the festival.

One hiccup though, once drivers cross the bridge they won't be able to get on 95 South because of the Overland Bridge project.

That's why officers said practice patience or, better yet, take another route.

"You can go over the Hart Bridge easily to Emerson to 95 south or you can take Bay Street right by the Prime Osborn and catch the interstate there and go over the Fuller Warren Bridge," JSO Assistant Chief Leonard Propper said.

Rivas said contributions at One Spark will be rewards-based this year. Like traditional online crowdfunding platforms such as Kickstarter or RocketHub, creators at One Spark 2015 will be able to offer rewards through their project profiles on OneSpark.com.