Arts Show Plans

Cedar Key, April 16, 2010

Dear Editor,

In reference to the recent controversy concerning the Arts Festival adapting Clamerica`s model retaining 10% of ticket sales of food in the park to help offset their costs, may I shed some light on the matter as an individual involved with the genesis of this idea as President of the Cedar Key Lions Club.

The Lions Club has been voluntarily organizing the Arts Festival Food in the Park vendors for many years.

When the Arts Festival evolved from being a Lioness arts and crafts street fair into a juried fine art event organized by the Old Florida Festival of the Arts, our food in the park organizing activity as Lions seemed out of place. Our efforts would be better focused on our mission to provide eyeglasses to those in need and support local needs such as the food pantry and the school.

When the Cedar Key Arts Center assumed the leadership role this year to continue the event that draws 20,000 people to our town, we felt it was time to pass the Food in the Park baton on to the Arts Festival organizers so that the event would be under one ARTS umbrella leadership, vision, and organization.

The Food in the Park is not a cost-free event.

In addition to the many volunteer man and woman hours involved, the Lions Club has absorbed up to $2,000 to $3,000 in costs per food in the park festival event in the past to provide music, the main dining tent, entertainment and other expenditures.

We looked at the successful Clamerica 4th of July event as an accepted and viable alternative model, where local nonprofits sell their food via ticket sales with Clamerica retaining 10% to offset their costs.

We suggested the ticket system to the Arts Festival.

Our experience selling food and drinks under that system has been a wonderful one. Equal or greater sales per day than at the festivals, easy accounting using the tickets, and the knowledge that part of our efforts help support and sustain an annual event that draws tens of thousands to Cedar Key. . . and to our food in the park.

Realizing that under current economic conditions, CRA subsidy of the festivals is no longer likely, we feel strongly that helping a city-wide event become self-sustaining - especially one that brings such positive national attention and so many visitors to Cedar Key - is important to our community.

Last autumn we discussed the changeover and ticket sales idea within the club, where our membership overlaps with many other nonprofit organizations in town, and found no opposition.

We approached the Arts Festival organizers with this idea, which they also found to be a good proposition. Food in the Park nonprofit participants were notified in writing of the change in January, and newspaper articles covering the changeover were placed in the local papers.

Somewhat surprised by the recent emergence of opposition just before the festival, I am impressed by how the Arts Festival organizers are reaching out to all facets of the community to try to come to a compromise and resolution.

It would be a shame to have negative feelings cloud over what looks to be another wonderfully positive event for Cedar Key.

The festival organizers have gone the extra mile in their own volunteer hours, in their impressive organization of the festival, and in the regional and statewide publicity for Cedar Key that they have generated.

Community wide enthusiasm and support for the festival is evidenced by the many individual area volunteers who are pitching in to make this the best Arts Festival yet. They all deserve our backing and thanks.

In the cooperative spirit that won Cedar Key the Small Rural Community of the Year Award, let`s all move forward with another great Cedar Key event!

Rory Brennan
President, Cedar Key Lions Club