The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Kelly Carrington Staff Writer The Flin Flon Trout Festival is in dire financial trouble. Last weekend's fundraising social didn't help at all as the event only sold 40 tickets. The Trout Festival Committee needed to sell 250 tickets to break even, taking into consideration the sale of 50/50 and raffle tickets, as well as drink sales. '...because of the poor turnout, the Trout Festival will lose around $4,000 on this event,' festival president and city councillor Tim Babcock told council on Tuesday. Two years ago, the Trout Festival Fundraising Social brought in $7,000. Even if there is a successful Fish Fry this summer, Babcock says the festival is 'going to run out of money.' See 'Spon...' on pg. 5 Continued from pg. 1 Sponsorship toward the Trout Festival is also down by roughly $13,000 over the past two years. 'At this rate, we will have burned through our savings by the end of the year, making it extremely tough for this festival to continue next year,' said Babcock. As for the recent social, the president has no clue as to why the social was a flop. 'We know that hundreds of people go to Country Fest (in Dauphin) every year,' he says, referring to the entertainment provided by country musician Jason Kirkness and his band. 'After three years of people begging us to bring in a country band, we spent a little extra money on entertainment...to get a quality act like Jason Kirkness.' Though the tunes played over the weekend were country-related, some attendees were out simply to support the festival. 'Half the people that came out don't even like country music,' Babcock said. 'As a volunteer group, we put our heart and soul into making sure the festival is successful. At this point, we really have to question how badly this community wants the festival to continue, and it may be time to look at other options,' he told council. With last weekend's disappointing social and the reality of the Trout Festival being in financial trouble, whether or not there will be a festival next year is still in question. 'After the festival this year, we'll have to look and see what happens,' said Babcock. What worked The committee will have to look at what worked and what didn't work by way of fundraising and hosting for the festival. Babcock says they won't be able to host events simply because they are traditions. 'We need to do things to make money,' he said. 'And that might mean not having a festival.' Putting money into advertising, entertainment like magicians on Main Street, and the canoe derby, the festival will continue to drain its bank account. Babcock expects the coffers to be empty by the end of this year's festival. The committee recently spent $6,000 on a new Teddy Trout mascot. 'That's part of the reason we've been doing extra fundraising, so we can afford this,' Babcock said. To help raise money for the month-long event, the committee has bartended at weddings, held meat draws and most recently held the social. 'The Trout Festival is in financial trouble,' said Babcock. Unlike previous years, however, the festival has 'way more volunteers this year than we have had in the past two years,' Babcock said. Acknowledging the efforts of the volunteers, Babcock says the events still don't pay for themselves, nor do they happen themselves. 'We need ideas that are going to generate money,' he said. In the past, the festival has operated as a break-even initiative. 'Our goal every year is to break even. This year, we're definitely losing money,' said Babcock. In 2010, Babcock took over as president of a 'dead' festival and saw a flourish of community support. 'People came out and supported because they were curious and concerned,' he said. But after a successful first year, support and commitment fell by the wayside. '...people don't have the same urgency as they did my first year,' said Babcock. With the committee eager to generate dollars this year, Share in the North tickets are once again available. In the past, the tickets were sold by the Queen Mermaid contestants. With that pageant no longer a part of the festival, 'it's hard to say if we'll make any money at all,' Babcock said. The Trout Festival will be held this summer, though its future depends on community support. 'If there is a festival next year, hopefully the new president will get the same support I had two years ago and will find a way to pull the festival from the ashes, yet again,' Babcock, who is stepping down as president after this year, told council.
