Chinga Talk
Marion enjoyed its 11th Chingawassa Days in June 2007. This annual festival has become one of the highlights of the year, and a great selling point for those promoting the quality of life in our town. Even though everyone has some idea what the festival offers, you can't really know what goes into staging the event unless you have been on the Chinga committee. To answer questions and clear up areas of confusion, Pete the Chingawassa Rhino has agreed to respond to a number of questions. The issues and Pete's responses will be presented in a series of columns the next few weeks.
Dear Pete: What are some of the costs associated with Chingawassa Days and where does the money come from to pay them?
Pete's answer: To the extent possible, the Chingawassa committee tries to make use of local and area talent to provide things to see and do at little or no cost. Miniature horse demonstrations, pedal tractor pull, dodge ball tournament, bed races, Friday night barbecue, bingo, horseshoe pitching tournament, and many other such events are done with very little cost to the committee.
This is because they have a very small entry fee or the expense (sometimes considerable) is paid by a sponsoring business.
Other parts of the festival do require an upfront outlay of cash. This includes things such as the stage, lights, sound system, and generator for the Saturday evening concert; the inflatables and other such activities for kids in the park; publicity; hospitality (food and beverages, etc.) related to the Saturday evening act and other contracted performers throughout the weekend; lodging expenses for various performers; prize money for the events; chain saw artist; Friday night act; opening act for Saturday; other performers throughout the weekend; Saturday night band; and producer fee. This is not a total list of expenses, just an example of some of the things that must be paid from funds generated by the festival.
During Chingawassa Days the committee members will make many references to the contributors who help make the event possible. The list of contributors is always found on the back of the brochure available during the festival. Some of these contributors donate cash, others provide "in-kind" services.
The support provided by these local businesses and individuals is outstanding. The Chingawassa committee is always bowled over by the way local businesses step up to donate their hard-earned money to help provide this entertainment opportunity for Marion residents.
The committee believes an investigator would have a tough time finding another community within this region that supports its festival to the extent that Marion businessmen and merchants support Chingawassa Days.
Nevertheless, the donations received pay for only 30-40 percent (depending on the level of contributions and costs of the festival, which fluctuate from year to year) of the annual festival budget. The balance is paid by the funds generated by button sales.
While not everyone can make a large donation like those made by local businessmen and merchants, lay people support Chingawassa Days simply through purchase of a button.
The committee is aware of a large number of local individuals, including many senior citizens who aren't particularly interested in the Saturday evening concert, but nevertheless buy a button to support the event. They want to make sure their kids and grandkids have something to do and they also enjoy the other activities going on throughout the weekend.
The Chingawassa Days festival is not supported by city tax dollars but rather is a self-supporting activity with everything paid by donations and proceeds from button sales.
Your $20 button pays for the whole weekend!
