The Manchester Enterprise
A Heritage Newspaper
Weekly Publication
Riverfolk struggles as deadline approaches
Fund-raiser donations slow coming from local businesses
By Ed Patino, Staff Writer
PUBLISHED: February 14, 2008
Although currently behind in its fund-raising goal, the Riverfolk Music & Arts Festival Board remains hopeful it will secure enough funding before this year's festival.
Advertisement
In an effort to boost revenue for the festival, the board is sponsoring several upcoming events, including an "Old Time Barn Dance" which takes place Feb. 29 at the Emanuel United Church of Christ.
The event will feature traditional dancing "squares and contras," along with light refreshments and snacks. The dance is scheduled to run from 8 to 11 p.m. with a square dance instruction session for first-timers being held at 7:30 p.m. The dance will be called by Mike Clark and features music by The Millers.
"You don't have to pay to attend, but we are hoping folks will recognize the need and the scope of all the Riverfolk organization is trying to do," board president Richard Spring said. "This is an event geared for adults. Information on the dance is included on our Web site."
Spring said he hopes the dance, as well as other events, will help the board get closer to its "Giverfolk" fund-raising goal of $29,000. After kicking off in December, the fund-raiser's momentum has slowed.
Spring said roughly $12,000 has been donated as of mid-January, but has only managed to build the account up to $14,500 as of Feb. 10.
Two of the most recent donations included $500 from the Manchester Optimist Club and another $500 from the Manchester Kiwanis Club, he said.
"Unfortunately we are not much further than before," Spring said. "We have not received significant contributions yet from area businesses."
The Riverfolk Board is offering large and small businesses the chance to join its Corporate Giverfolk program. Businesses can make donations starting at $250, $500, $1,000 or $5,000 and have web links to their businesses posted on the Riverfolk Web site. Individual Giverfolk donators are also urged to contribute at the $25, $50, $100, $500 or $1,000 levels and will also be recognized on the Web site.
"We are very hopeful that our local businesses will come through because even small donations from them will help us toward our goal," Spring said. "Anyone interested in contributing is free to contact our Web site or contact me by phone."
During a public forum in October to discuss the future of the Riverfolk Festival, area residents suggested the offering of health screenings at the event. Spring said that the board received a "significant donation" from a business outside the Manchester community that is going toward this year's "Art of Healthy Children" tent.
Several other events are in the works to raise funds for Riverfolk in March. An animation class that teaches how to develop a story and create stop-motion animation films begins March 3, while an "Art for Artists" class is scheduled to begin March 5. Doll making, instrumental music and painting classes are also being offered.
Manchester resident Denny Steele and members of the festival committee recently approached the Manchester Village Council for support of a village run that would take place during Riverfolk weekend. Although final plans are still being negotiated, the group received support from the council.
"There is progress on the Manchester Run, and both groups are coordinating their efforts to make it a success for each of us," Spring said.
Last year's Riverfolk Festival generated a lower turnout than expected. Although the board was able to pay the bills, it was left with less than $3,000 available as seed money for this year, putting the future of the festival into question. At the October public forum, many residents wished for the event to continue with most of its current format and offered suggestions of ways to help ease the financial burden.
The 2008 Riverfolk Music & Arts Festival is scheduled for Aug. 2 at Carr Park.
Not all stories are guaranteed to appear
online. The Web edition contains a reasonable
sampling of the print edition stories.
For the most complete news coverage, we invite you to
subscribe
to the print edition of the paper.
TOP JOBS
