If the recommendation of the City of North Bay staff is followed, the Summer in the Park Festival committee will soon be officially put to rest by municipal politicians.
Erin Vaughan, the City's Community Event Facilitator has submitted a report on the volunteer-run former festival, with a few "housekeeping" items to be reviewed during North Bay City Council's community services committee meeting, Tuesday.
Vaughan's recommendations include authorizing the City Clerk to prepare a by-law to "wind down," and disband the Summer in the Park (SITP) committee while thanking all committee members for "their valuable contributions made to the festival during its operating years."
Summer in the Park evolved over the years from its incarnation as the Heritage Festival, including, at various points in festival history, air shows, firefighter challenges, big-name musical acts, and weather-related difficulties with those acts.
See related story: Gateway Heritage Festival holds lasting impression upon Gateway City
The festivals drew tourists to North Bay and, even in its final, leaner years, continued to be touted as a driver of economic spin-off locally. In 2018, the festival's last gasp, according to the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Sport’s Regional Economic Impact Model, the festival reported $2.04 million in economic impact on North Bay.
However, continuing a trend, that same 2018 edition of SITP incurred a deficit of over $325,000 for taxpayers, figuring in an $80,000 grant from the City. Organizers had moved the show to Memorial Gardens and Thomson Park, in large part because of weather concerns — and in hopes of rebranding and keeping the festival going. Despite the best efforts of organizers and volunteers, it was the final year of a three-year commitment from North Bay City Council and the agreement was not to be renewed.
Tuesday, Council members will also be encouraged to continue the Community Events Hosting funding program. The program originated during 2019 budget deliberations as a way to move on from SITP and continue to support community-driven events, such as the Bay Days festival held that year but cancelled in 2020 due to the pandemic.
See also: New summer grassroots summer festival Bay Days gets its official introduction
The new Community Events Hosting Program received $40,000 in funding in the 2019 Arts, Culture, Recreation and Leisure Services (ACRLS) budget, and $50,000 in 2020. Another $50,000 is earmarked in the 2021 budget for the program.
Vaughan writes the focus of the Community Events Hosting Program "is to provide financial support to community-based, grassroots-driven events in the City."
The report notes, the "Community Events Hosting Program was well received by Community Groups in 2019 utilizing the allocated budget. The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in the cancellation of quite a few community events in 2020."
It was clear, in the end, the event no longer resonated with its audience and had strayed far from its original, community purpose. At the end of a long run of successful festivals, the people ultimately spoke with their wallets and stayed away.
See: Summer in the Park officials say North Bay missed out
Co-chair of 2018 SITP Thomas Brown summed up the attendance woes that summer.
"I can only go based on the feedback I got from the people that showed up and the resounding feedback from those who were there is that North Bay missed out."
The community services committee of North Bay City Council will receive the report during the first of two parts of Tuesday's meetings, available to stream online.
