Financial losses at Brunswick arts festival may lead to changes

PORTLAND – The Maine Festival, which attracts about 25,000 people to Thomas Point Beach in Brunswick each August, is operating in the red, and the nonprofit organization that runs the event is considering major changes.

The eight-member board of Maine Arts Inc. has met several times since August to figure out how to avoid financial losses in the future, said Steve Bither, board chairman.

Bither would not say how much money the three-day festival lost. This past year tickets were $10 in advance and $12 at the gate.

The festival, begun in 1976, usually features craftspeople and about 100 Maine artists, including musicians, dancers, jugglers, comedians and storytellers.

A performer himself, Bither has played the festival as a member of The Wicked Good Band. He also is a lawyer.

Bither said the board will be examining “the entire structure” of the festival, including where it is held, how long it is held, how many performers it has, and what costs are involved.

At present, Maine Arts has only one full-time staff member, director Michael Miclon, a comic performer who runs the OddFellow Theater in Buckfield.

Bither would not say whether Miclon’s job could be cut, only that “everything is being looked at.” Bither stressed that although the festival lost money, the board members considered it an “artistic success.” Miclon could not be reached for comment Monday.

Until this year, Maine Arts also ran the annual New Year’s Portland celebration, but the board gave up that event to concentrate on the Maine Festival.

Bither said the board will meet again in early November and may have some specific changes to the festival to announce later that month.