1990 Lobster Festival has `90 percent chance’> Lobster Festival cancellati to be reconsidered

ROCKLAND — The Maine Lobster Festival directors have voted to reconsider, but not reverse, last week’s vote to close down the 1990 edition. Directors did say Monday night that there was a “90 percent chance” that the festival would be held this year.

Despite an enthusiastic show of support at a meeting Monday night at the Samoset Resort, President Frank Smith and other directors resisted an effort for a formal vote to hold the festival this year.

Several director said they would hold the feet of the community to the fire until Wednesday night, to see what level of financial and volunteer support is forthcoming. The Wednesday meeting at the Samoset Resort will be sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce.

The chain of events started Feb. 27 when the directors voted 7-6 to suspend any planning for this year’s event. Festival President Frank Smith said the coffers were dry and support was vanishing.

“There was not enough money to commit to another festival,” he said. “There was too much to be done and we didn’t have enough help. There was no indication we would get the money we needed.”

Smith said people outside the organization did not appreciate how much work was needed to put on the annual event. The festival organization is down to the same 12-15 people to complete the projects.

The last two or three festivals have been “Mickey Mouse operations,” said Smith. “It looks seedy,” because of inadequate community support. “No one gave up easily. We just had no idea how to do it,” Smith said.

“We need help. We need money,” said Smith, who distributed 19-page lists of projects which need volunteers. The festival bank account had dwindled to $12,000 with $20,000 needed to pay for preliminary expenses for the annual event. The total expenses of the festival approach $80,000.

On Sunday night, the board of directors voted to “reconsider” but not reverse its Feb. 27 vote.

Samoset Manager James Ash spoke for many in the room Monday night when he said the community would do “whatever it takes.”

There must be a way to save a 43-year-old festival,” Ash said. “The community support is clearly there.” He also noted that that fewer than half of the members of the Rockland Area Chamber of Commerce support the festival.

At the Monday session, a dozen people signed up to serve as festival directors. Forms to enlist volunteers for festival projects will be available Tuesday morning at several locations, including SOS Office Supply, radio station WRKD and Shop ‘n Save. Those who attended the Monday meeting were asked by festival director Chuck Kruger to return Wednesday with three more volunteers.

SOS owner Dale Hayward offered to print 10,000 copies of the volunteer form.

The festival needs $96,000 to operate, according to Treasurer Ralph Foster Jorgenson. The largest gift to date has been $600. While the timing of the vote to suspend planning “could have been better,” said Jorgenson, “it couldn’t be put off for another month.”

“The festival did not die on Tuesday night. It has died a slow and painful death over a number of years,” Jorgenson said.

More important than the money is the need for active directors and festival volunteers, Smith said. Directors sign up in a moment of enthusiasm “then disappear like the morning fog. You can’t run a railroad without engineers.”

Wednesday will be the last date for a vote to hold the festival this year, Smith said. Contracts will have to be signed immediately for parade events, tents, seafood and other festival items, he said.

Motel owner Robert Liberty tried to get a commitment from the directors at the Monday session. He offered to put the festival on himself if no one else stepped forward. “We should fold our tent the day after the festival, not six months down the road. We have a lot of bad publicity to overcome.”

While directors said there was a “90 percent chance” that the festival would be held this year, they postponed a formal vote until the Wednesday session.

Veteran festival director Alice Knight said, “I don’t think we should make a statement until we hear from everyone. I don’t want to say yes tonight. I want to see community support for a festival that is bigger and better than ever.”