Shaffer Commentary

Once again, the Anthracite Heritage Festival of the Arts has come and gone. Someone said it is just like planning a wedding; you plan in anticipation of a wonderful event and then - poof -it's over.

The committee starts its planning sessions right after the Christmas holidays, and we welcome anyone who would like to help plan next year's festival. Festival planning sessions next year will be held on the last Wednesday evening of the month at 6:30 starting in January at the Northumberland County Career and Arts Center art studio. If you would like to help with next year's festival, please contact any member now. We ask that you attend at least one meeting and then the final meeting before the festival.

We will be 5 years old next year and we want to plan some special events.

Committee members are Garth Hall, Bob Carr, Gloria Zielinskie, Lanza and Chris Williams, Becky Deitrick, Fritz Reed, Lisa Welch, Mary Ann Levins, Mike and Debbie Weaver, Sandy Winhofer, Dave Donmoyer, Mary Stump, Rich and Joan Eltringham, Kevin Richardson and Dolores Splane.

This year we went into the festival knowing financially it was going to be tough. The uncertain economy prompted many to cut their sponsorships or not to sponsor at all. If it were not for the generosity of the people listed below, we would not be able to plan a 2010 festival. Each year, all proceeds go toward the next festival.

This year's generous sponsors, to whom we owe a great deal of gratitude, are: Olvany Insurance, $1,500; Aqua Pennsylvania, $1,000; M & T Bank, $1000; PPL, $1000; Service Electric, $1,000; state Rep. Robert E. Belfanti Jr., $50; Buttercrust Bakery, $100; Medicine Shoppe, $300; Fun Shop, $300; Mid Penn Insurance, $100; Olcese Pharmacy, $200; Postage Plus, $50; Rotary, $250; Lions, $250; Rotary Interact, $50; First National Bank of PA, $100; Mac's $30; Shamokin Filler, $20; Eyesense, $10; totaling $7,310.

Other income was $4,615 from booth rentals; $195 in museum sales; $4,184 in sales of tickets, books, CDs, DVDs, T-shirts, etc.; $259 in hot dog sales Friday night; $100 from the sale of art. Luminaries, Black Seam exhibit and sales of merchandise added another $1077. Total income is $17,740.

Expenses were as follows: fireworks, $3,300; trolley, $1,100, and large wagon, $900; History Alive, $527.50; tent, $533.25; advertising, $1,228.40; talent show prizes, $130; liability insurance, $600; porta-potties, $510; Shamalama, $1,000; K&S Sound, $50; stage entertainment, $1,600; Highwheelers $300; Lanny Lee Balloons, $300; buggy rides, $500; photography, $100; Shikellamy Band, $300; posters, $61.97; Black Seam prizes. $105; parade trophies, $100, and printing, $3,101.64. Expenses totaled $16,347.76.

Net profit for the event was $1,392.24.

The profit this year did not meet our expectations, but the momentum was still in tact. How can you put a price on visuals such as old friends, school chums, neighbors and relatives in town for the weekend reconnecting with one another, children chasing balloons and displaying their newly painted faces, families taking a ride on the trolley and horse-drawn carriages, people standing in an endless line for that ethnic food that Shamokin cooks have a flare for? It was a great day!

There were favorable reports from vendors, which included our schools, our churches, our civic organizations, our businesses and individuals who said financially, they did well.

I have heard it said many times over, Shamokin is not what it used to be. And I say to those people, are you what you used to be? Time changes us all, but the bottom line is we must work with what we have now while learning from the past so we can press on into the future.

I am proud of our town and our heritage. Thank you for supporting the festival!

(Shaffer is executive director of the Northumberland County Council for the Arts and Humanities.)