Weinberger proclaims 'Red Nose Day'

Mayor Miro Weinberger joined Free Press Media Publisher Al Getler Wednesday morning at City Hall to announce that May 21 will be Red Nose Day in Burlington.

Red Nose Day is an annual international effort to raise money for impoverished children in the United States and around the world. The inaugural campaign debuted in the United Kingdom in 1985, and has raised more than $1 billion. May 21 will be the first Red Nose Day in the U.S.

"Let's hope this tradition, which has been so successful on the other side of the Atlantic, helps fund United Way programs and Boys and Girls Club programs here in the city," Weinberger said.

Broadcast station WPTZ and the Burlington Town Center mall will also participate in the campaign.

Weinberger on Wednesday issued an official proclamation, which commends the media organizations and Burlington Town Center for "showcasing the value of Red Nose Day and the contributions it will make to the children and young people in our community."

Getler said he got the idea to host a local iteration of the national Red Nose Day campaign during a recent visit to New York City with his family.

"I walked into a Walgreens and saw these red noses on the counter," Getler said, adding that once he read about how different cities across the U.S. were taking part in Red Nose Day, he thought Burlington should participate as well.

"Thanks to the City of Burlington, WPTZ, the Burlington Town Center and the Free Press, we're bringing Red Nose Day here," Getler said.

Many staffers from WPTZ and Free Press Media were on hand to commemorate the announcement on the steps of City Hall, as was Champy, the Vermont Lake Monsters mascot, and Stuart Paton of the Burlington Taiko drummers.

On May 21, NBC will host a three-hour primetime comedy and music special to celebrate Red Nose Day. Locally, WPTZ will host a full day of live programing from the mall.

To support the campaign, the public can purchase red noses from retailers. Walgreens has already sold out of its initial stock of 5 million noses. Readers can learn more about the national campaign at www.rednoseday.org.