By Lee Ross
Mountain View Telegraph
The Music Festival at Wildlife West Nature Park will be bigger and better than ever, according to park founder Roger Alink, who says that every year.
"It's getting bigger and better every year," Alink explained.
Alink also said this may be the last year of that trend.
"I don't know how it's going to look next year," he said. "We may raise the price, we may change the venue a little bit ... I may be selling pencils on the street corner."
That's because, after a change in the town's elected officials, Alink's park was left with a $20,000 shortfall, money the town had previously budgeted for the event but was not bound by contract to deliver.
Through a series of fundraisers, raffles and donations, including $1,500 from Wal-Mart, about $9,000 of that money was recovered and Edgewood did kick in some money for advertising. Alink also hopes to recover some money through ticket sales, which brought in around $12,000 last year.
But Alink has had to borrow money to cover expenses such as the cost of bringing in the bands, insurance, portable bathrooms, the cost of utilities and other expenses, he said.
"It's almost guaranteed we are going to lose money this year," he said. "The bank sure would like to get paid back, and I don't know how I'm going to do that yet."
Those are details that will have to be worked out after this weekend's festival, however, which will kick off on Friday at 7 p.m. with a barn dance and music by Syd Masters and the Swing Riders.
On Saturday the music starts at 11 a.m. and go on until around 11 p.m. with 10 bands on two stages. There will also be a fiddle and guitar playing contest with a fiddle and guitar as prizes and music workshops. Saturday's events and go on until around 11 p.m. Headliners include The Byron Berline Band, April Verch and the Boulder Acoustic Society.
Music starts at 11 a.m. again on Sunday with gospel music by The Adobe Brothers and goes on until around 4 p.m.
There will be hay rides, a kids jumper, and free dry camping where "music groupies" can wander from camp to camp to check out nightly jam sessions, Alink said.
Food vendors will include JR's BBQ and El Comedor and there will be 25 vendors in all selling crafts, leather goods, jewelry, musical instruments and other items.
All-day admission at the door is $10 on Friday and Sunday and $15 on Saturday and kids under 12 get in free.
Alink said he and the young men and women employed at his park have been working for weeks to get the park ready for the event.
"I love working with kids," he said. "This is a kid place."
Alink said he is accustomed to working 80 to 100 hours a week at the park, but said, with funding cut from the festival this year, he has never had a more difficult, stressful year in his life.
"It's hurt my heart. It's just kind of hurtful," he said.
In fact, Alink has begun to sever ties with the town. He has quit his volunteer position with the town's Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee and also dropped out of the Edgewood Chamber of Commerce which has an office in a building rented by the town.
"It's not about the volunteers who serve on either one of those committees, because I love those people," Alink said. "It's not about the Edgewood community because I love the community ... it has more to do with where I'm going. I'm being kind of spiritual about this, I'm following my heart."
Alink said he will likely cut back his hours and work on getting his falconry license, but did not elaborate beyond that.
For more information on the music festival, visit www.wildlifewest.org or call 281-7655.
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