HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2018-01-11, Page 19THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JANUARY 11, 2018. PAGE 19.
Entertainment Leisure
Celtic Festival request referred to Ec. Dev. Board
A request for financial assistance
from the Goderich Celtic Folk
Society has been referred to the
Economic Development Board for
review.
John Lodge of the society spoke to
Huron County Council at its final
committee of the whole meeting of
2017, saying that it had been a tough
year for the popular festival.
Lodge told councillors that it was
the 25th annual festival, so
organizers aimed to beef up their
programming and make it a weekend
to remember. However, due to a
number of factors, the festival lost
over $18,500 in 2017. This loss,
coupled with a loss of $6,000 from
2016 depleted the organization's 25 -
year accumulated surplus by almost
half.
In 2017, Lodge said that upper -tier
government grant funding had been
cut by $6,000 and a number of sales
figures, such as CD commissions,
the beer tent and other concession
stands saw losses of $5,000. He also
said that fundraising for the festival
also took a hit of $5,000 in 2017.
Despite those "ugly" numbers,
Lodge said a number of factors
remained steady, or improved, at the
festival.
He said the attendance for the
Celtic College was up, which came
with increased revenue. He also said
that merchandise sales were up and
that costs were kept in line with
those of previous years, with the
exception of some extras that
were brought in for the 25th
anniversary.
Scramble
The Blyth Brussels Hockey Association's Novice team was in action Saturday morning before
the weather got nasty, taking on their enemies from the north, Milverton. Although the locals
put up a good fight and battled until the end, they unfortunately came up on the short end of
a 3-2 score. (Quinn Talbot photo)
School Board to partner
with Stratford Festival
Learning what it takes to be in
professional theatre from the
professionals themselves is a rare
opportunity for young students.
The Avon Maitland District Public
School Board and Stratford Festival
are making that opportunity a reality
through a program called "My
Academy". Students will learn
acting and production skills
culminating in an abridged
production at one of Stratford's
world famous theatres.
"We're delighted to be able to
make this opportunity available to
students. Not only will My
Academy help participants develop
new skills and gain insight into
different theatrical careers, it will
also allow them to build important
relationships within the theatre
community," said Anita Gaffney,
Executive Director Stratford
Festival.
My Academy runs for 10 weeks in
the second semester, beginning in
February. Courses are taught at
Stratford Northwestern Secondary
School but anyone throughout the
district can apply. There are a
limited number of spaces available.
For more information, visit
http://myacademy.yourschool s.ca/
Get information
on Huron County attractions
on the
Stops Along The Way
section of our website
www.northhuron.on.ca
He said that the festival has had a
huge impact on the Huron County
community and it is lauded by those
in Canada and abroad. As for
Goderich, he said that the festival
has proven to be the largest cultural
event on the town's calendar and,
with it, a huge economic impact.
Next year, Lodge said the group
was aiming to "green up" the festival
and make it more environmentally
friendly, while also renewing its
marketing approach and improving
its corporate sponsorship and
fundraising partnerships.
As for assistance, councillors felt
the issue should initially be referred
to budget deliberations later in the
month. However, Bluewater Mayor
Tyler Hessel said he felt it was more
of an issue for the Huron County
Economic Development Board.
Councillors agreed and the issue
was delegated to the board, which
will report back to council at some
point in the coming months.
For more information on the
festival, visit celticfestival.ca.
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