Another One Bites The Dust

I opened the paper this morning to see that another of our local annual events, the Rhythm & Ribs Festival has canceled for this summer, joining the recently departed Oktoberfest. Sobering news for those of us in the festival business. R & R cites a significant decrease in sponsorship as the cause for their hiatus and say they're coming back in 2010. I wish them well. And in the words of another former president, I feel their pain. These are tough times for everybody, but absolutely brutal for people in our business.

The demise, however temporary of both Oktoberfest and R & R should serve as a wake up call to all of us, whether on the planning side of a festival, the sponsorship side or the patron side. As my cousin the dentist used to say about teeth, ignore them and they'll go away. If you think that events like Oktoberfest, Rhythm & Ribs, and yes, Irish Fest add to the quality of life in Kansas City, if you think that having our long, hot summers punctuated by a variety of great weekend events, be they ethnic celebrations like ours, the Italian, Polish, Greek and Mexican festivals and Oktoberfest or cultural showcases like Rhythm & Ribs is a good thing, then please please please support them. Buy a ticket. Volunteer. If it's within your power, consider sponsorship. The benefits - to all of us- far outweigh the costs. At Irish Fest, we struggle mightily for sponsorship dollars, too. We're extremely fortunate that so many of our wonderful partners are sticking with us. I hope that part of the reason they do is that they, like we, just can't imagine K.C. without I.F.

I love this city, warts and all. But it's a little less lovable this morning for having one more open weekend on the summer calendar. Get well soon, Rhythm & Ribs. See you in 2010.