Overwhelming mood to save festival

Alexandra people voted with their feet last night, filling the town's community hall to overflowing in a bid to save their Blossom Festival.

Just 10 days ago, 26 people turned up at the committee's annual meeting and heard the dire financial position the event was in after spiralling costs left a shortfall of $81,290 of debt to be covered.

The event has been part of the fabric of Alexandra since 1957 and the message from the new committee chairman, Tim Cadogan, seeing the response from the people who had turned out, was that they were going to do all they could to make it local, affordable and make it happen in 2010.

He was encouraged by some sizeable donations from businesses and locals to help cover the shortfall before the Vincent Community Board is asked to pick up any remaining debt by way of a grant on March 29.

The panama hats of both Mayor Malcolm Macpherson and new event organiser Martin McPherson were passed around and overflowed with donations on their return.

A rainy day fund established by a previous Blossom Festival Committee would provide seeding funds for a 2010 event, but it was not available for past debts, according to trustee Daphne Hull.

Dr Macpherson was certain that if the festival was lost for even one year it would not be resurrected.

Mr McPherson was stunned by the comments being written on a festival Facebook page, which so far has 560 "friends", many from young people in the town keen to keep the event.

Mention was made of the cost of a marquee hired for the festival but empty most of the time. Mr Cadogan called it an "expensive option that we need like I need a comb", his characteristic bald head sweltering in the overheating hall.

As ideas came thick and fast, the mood was positive for the future of the event and its "back-to-basics" format.

The 2009 festival was marred by 80 arrests, more than twice the number arrested at the 2008 event, "but the police did such a great job I was not aware of any of it", Mr Cadogan said.

There were no arrests at the parade or during the family-oriented events in Pioneer Park.

A Central Otago District Council study found the 2008 festival brought $647,042 into the district, down from $1.4 million in 2007.

- © Fairfax NZ News

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