Orono may try to save an annual arts festival after the organization that created the event told the town it wouldn’t host it this summer.
Stillwater Community Arts has hosted Artsapalooza, which features visual and performing artists at local businesses, since 2011. The event, which normally happens in June, is in jeopardy unless the town can find a vendor to coordinate it in the next few weeks.
The nonprofit wrote in a letter dated March 22 to the Orono Town Council that it was a difficult decision to move on from the festival but didn’t elaborate why it would no longer host it, Dan Demeritt, the council’s chairperson, said Tuesday. Stillwater Community Arts didn’t respond to a request for comment.
During a meeting Monday night, the council considered whether to spend $7,000 to cover event costs, including hiring a vendor to run the event. A few councilors were skeptical about giving money to a project that could be hard to pull off in a short amount of time, while others saw no harm in trying.
The council will vote Monday whether to authorize a $7,000 expenditure and direct the town manager to issue a request for proposals, Demeritt said Tuesday. Of that amount, $2,000 would go to the vendor, while the rest would pay the artists and cover costs for marketing, insurance and anything else needed, he said.
“I’m optimistic that we have the energy and enthusiasm for the arts in Orono to find an operator for Artsapalooza this year,” Demeritt said. “I’m especially eager to try.”
Last June, Artsapalooza featured about 30 acts at nine businesses and the Church of Universal Fellowship, according to the organization’s Facebook page. A parade during the event also featured children dressed as their favorite zoo animals. Friends of the Orono Public Library offered face painting.
Stillwater Community Arts has had to fundraise to put on the festival each year, and it estimated that it takes about 90 hours to organize, Demeritt said. He noted that in its letter, the nonprofit expressed its hope for a new group to preserve the festival or create a new version. It also offered to share its blueprint, including a list of performers and other details, with the town, he said.
Sarah Marx, the council’s vice chairperson, said Monday night it might be difficult to restart an annual tradition once it has ended, and it would be worth trying to draw qualified vendors to take on the festival. She has heard from businesses that the festival is their busiest time of the year, she said.
Councilor Leo Kenney questioned whether it was wise to spend several thousand dollars on an event that would be tough to pull together quickly. “We’re starting to get into real money,” he said, listing other projects the council has recently funded.
If the council decides to move forward with the request for proposals, it would consider responses at its meeting April 22, Demeritt said. It’s possible that the festival will not happen if the council feels that applicants are not capable of pulling it off.
“We need certainty that someone can host this,” he said. “We’re going to do our best to find a new host, and ideally it will be someone who wants to take it on for the long term.”
