Festival feedback

One fun aspect of the Internet is the ability to hold a community conversation. Anyone who has spent time on semissourian.com knows that readers have the option to comment on stories. Sometimes that's a bad thing, but many times it's a great thing, as was the case with an open blog I posted this week about the River City Music Festival asking for comments.

I posed questions added by readers to Mary Ramsey, director of the City of Roses Music Heritage Association and consequently the River City Music Festival. She said Friday night attendance was a little higher this year at 1,380, and Saturday saw 990, down significantly from years past. They blame the rain.

As for moving the festival to a park, we lose the river as a backdrop, she said. A River City Music Festival in Arena Park with no water around seems a little silly. Someone on the blog mentioned moving it to an Oktoberfest, but others and Ramsey pointed out that the weather doesn't always cooperate in October.

I saw no problem with entertainment choices, but many on the blog mentioned there was a lack of child-size fun. Ramsey said they've talked about adding children's events; I think there just hasn't been anyone to take on the project. Anyone interested in being kids tent coordinator?

As for growing the festival and taking over Main Street, maybe. But then again, the festival has had logistics problems at its current size -- lack of volunteers to cover the gates, miscommunications about which gates allow people in and where to get tickets, organizers not being able to update websites with information for the public and some of them having to run from one end to the other to handle stage issues -- that expanding it isn't in the next step category.

Ramsey said the goal is to have a professional event, and organizers realize they need to be financially and logistically prepared before they expand.

IMHO, the planning committee needs to be given specific duties and allowed to fully own those duties. Deadlines need to be set for certain plans and the committee should be limited to a few true members with anyone else being designated a volunteer or subcommittee member. Too many cooks spoil the pot.

The festival is a charity event and raises money for a scholarship fund and for music programs in area schools. It's worth the effort. It just needs a little more focus and work to push it further down the road of success.