Thanks to a few last-minute sponsors, creative budgeting and cooperative weather, the 38th annual Carnation Festival drew a crowd, despite early predictions that low funding would lead to cutbacks.
As of press time, festival committee treasurer Viola Harris could not provide any specific financial information, but said sponsorships from Hank’s Auto Body, Wells Fargo, Applejack Liquor, Medved auto dealers, First Bank and others helped fill in the gaps.
A little more than six weeks ago, the festival committee was about $30,000 short for the event, which costs about $50,000 to stage, she said.
Rather than cutting specific events, the Carnation Festival committee had to be scrupulous about its budget, committee member Tom Meiers said.
As in years past, Friday night fireworks, a performance from The Nacho Men and the fire department’s spaghetti supper drew big draws, he said. The festival had three stages for entertainment, including the main stage, the show wagon and the folk stage. All acts that performed on the show wagon appeared for free, which saved money for organizers.
The Colorado Folk Arts Council sponsored the International Heritage Festival on the folk stage, with performances from Flamenco, Irish, Scandinavian, Thai and German dance groups.
Action at the end of the midway, including the folk stage, a mechanical bull and the annual eating contests, helped draw guests from one end of the midway to the other, Meiers said.
“We tried to pull people down the midway,” he said.
The event was quiet for the Wheat Ridge Police Department, which had eight uniformed officers at the festival each night. Except for one festivalgoer, who had too much to drink and was taken to detox, the police didn’t see any problems, Sgt. James Cohen said.
“Attendance was good and the weather cooperated for a change,” he said.
“The parade went off without a hitch.”
Although some fundraisers and vendors at the festival said they were lucky to break even, they were pleased with the festivities. David and Andrew Steger, 16- and 17-year-old brothers from Littleton who juggled at the Carnation Festival to earn money for college, had never been to the festival before, but enjoyed the atmosphere, even if they didn’t make as much cash as they hoped, David Steger said.
Large Marge’s Philly Cheese Steaks of Wheat Ridge sold its sandwiches for less than menu price at the festival and broke even in sales, but it was important for the business to be there in a show of support for the community, co-owner Marge Brown said.
“This is our place,” she said. “These are our people.”
NEED TO KNOW
The Wheat Ridge Carnation Festival committee accepts donations and sponsorships for the festival year-round. For more information, visit www.wheatridgecarnationfestival.org