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Is Sapperton Days doomed for 2019?
Festival could be cancelled without more funding
The daylong event is funded by $18,000 in sponsorship money (including $5,000 from the Sapperton Days is at risk of becity), $10,000 in vendor fees and ing cancelled unless funding can $60,000 of in-kind donations that be found to keep it afloat. cover the costs of items such as The annual street festival is in tents and stages, Ciprian said. dire need of cash to pay for proLast year’s event featured live fessionals to help to organize this entertainment, 60 or 70 merchanyear’s event. dise vendors, booths for 10 to 20 “For the last five or six years I non-profit organizations, food have done everything – like 95 per trucks and kids’ activities such as cent of it,” New West resident Guy face painting, balloon twisting and Ciprian told the Record. “It’s bouncy castles. over 600 hours, over 3,000 incom“We have well over 100 things ing emails every year. It’s calling in on the street,” Ciprian said. “Eva lot of favours, industry profesery one of them takes multiple sionals I work with.” emails and time to coordinate.” The Sapperton Merchants’ AsIf the organizing committee is sociation and the McBride-Sapable to secure more funds, Cipriperton Residents’ Association an said people could be hired to once organized various aspects of do certain tasks, such as registerthe festival, and it was previousing vendors, sourcing and bookly a two-day event. In recent years, ing entertainment (much of which the bulk of the work is free), and working has fallen on Ciprisponsors. I just can’t put with an, with some busi“It’s disheartenness representatives the time in that I ing. I have been runhelping with planning this event for did before. ning, and people vol16 years.The event unteering on the day is really a part of me. of the festival. Like anything in life, Festivals in other I just can’t put the neighbourhoods, such as the Cotime in that I did before,” he said. lumbia StrEAT Food Truck Fes“Will I be there the day of? For tival and Uptown Live, have paid sure.Will I still participate in the administrative staff and funding management? For sure. I have the from their business improvement blueprints, but I just can’t answer associations, as well as city grants 3,000 emails and do 600 hours.” and sponsorship funds. Mayor Jonathan Cote said the Ciprian said the time needed to city has received a letter requesting plan the festival has increased in additional funds for the Sapperrecent years because of more deton festival. mands from the city’s festivals de“The festival was granted the partment, which is particularly same amount that it was in past challenging for events planned by years, but they are looking for furvolunteers who have jobs of their ther financial support,” he said in own. He said more events are takan email to the Record. ing place in New West and they’re “My understanding is that this all targeting the same pockets for issue will be coming to council on sponsorship money. Monday, Feb. 25 for discussion.” Theresa McManus tmcmanus@newwestrecord.ca
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HOLDING IT TOGETHER: Cole Nevalainen of New West’s Shasta gymnastics club competed at the Aaron Johnson Memorial trampoline/tumbling event hosted in Burnaby on Sunday. Read more on page 32. PHOTO JENNIFER GAUTHIER
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