The organizer of Bridgewater’s Afterglow Festival says this year’s event could be the last.
The annual event took place this past weekend.
Ashton Rodenhiser says she has been thinking about pulling the plug for a while.
She says between family obligations and her role as Board Chair for Art Happening Bridgewater, it’s hard to carve out time to organize a festival of this scale as well.
“If I have to split my time between Art Happening and Afterglow, Art Happening has to get all of my attention because that’s an ongoing, creative experience for people.”
Rodenhiser is hoping to hear from community members interested in helping to coordinate the event.
“I’d like to make it continue, but things would have to change. If people would like to jump on board to try to help make it happen I would greatly appreciate that. But at this moment in time, I’m just uncertain.”
Rodenhiser says she would also like to see a better partnership with the town similar to how they support Canada Day and the Christmas parade.
Meanwhile, safety became an issue at this year’s Afterglow Festival.
Some performers were set in locations that forced spectators onto open streets to view their performance.
Rodenhiser says she asked the town to close the necessary parts of King Street but was informed it would cost $1,200 to do so.
She says after paying artists and covering their expenses, the festival couldn’t spend that kind of money.
Bridgewater’s Acting Deputy Police Chief Danny McPhee says officers were on site and provided traffic control, but the situation could have gotten out of hand.
“If we were tied up on either matters we wouldn’t have been able to do that. That event was moved without (Town of Bridgewater) engineering or our permission to that roadway where the crowd spilled on.”
McPhee says spectators need to be aware of their surroundings.
And Rodenhiser says providing road closures is an example of how the town could support the festival.
Reported by Ed Halverson
Twitter: @edwardhalverson
E-mail: halverson.ed@radioabl.ca
