Last year’s inaugural Salem Pumpkin Daze was deemed a success all around, well except for one aspect — parking.
The 2012 community festival was held at the Trevor Fire Station/Highway Department building on Highway C. There was plenty of space for the festival inside and around the building, but parking was at a premium.
With plans to repeat the event this year on Oct. 19, those planning the event were seeking to move the festival to the Kenosha County Fairgrounds in Wilmot, where there would be ample parking.
But as town officials discussed last Monday, that plan may be hitting a snag.
Supervisor Michael Culat said he recently attended a meeting of the Fair Board to try to nail down a commitment allowing the town to use the fairgrounds. While most of the board was in favor of the fairgrounds being the location of the festival, discussion about which buildings might be available in October delayed a firm answer, Culat said.
That was not the only hitch for the festival discussed Monday. Town Chairman Diann Tesar raised the question of whether the town should spend about $1,200 more on a band this year than last year in the hope of drawing a larger crowd. Culat pointed out that more people should mean additional concession sales. But board members and planning committee members have heard heated opinions about the band proposal.
Culat, who made the original proposal for the festival last year, said he is getting somewhat discouraged by some of the obstacles and controversy.
“It’s all a big cloud right now,” Culat said.
Some other board members asked for more information about what the festival plans to spend and how those costs are projected to be recovered before committing to additional expenditures such as the larger band fee.
Town administrator Patrick Casey said he could develop a budget for the board’s review by the Committee of the Whole meeting this Monday, March 18.
“We have a lot of time to solve the problems,” Casey said. “It’s an excellent event that should be recreated; we shouldn’t give up so easily.”
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From what I saw and heard last year it was “parking”, why is what building an issue? You already have a good idea of what to expect. Diane,… so spend the money and get a band. You’ve already added $7.00 to the waste pick up from John’s, some of that can be put forward to that and the Port o Pots…no? bite the bullet.