- By Dan Veaner
- Around Town
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Lansing Community Council Vice President and Harbor Festival Chairwoman Karen Veaner told Lansing's Town Council Wednesday that the first annual Lansing Harbor Festival finished in the black. She says that while the intent was to break even on the community celebration at Myers Park on September 1, that the festival actually made money despite a last minute postponement when a freak storm swept through the town. "Honestly we were hoping just to break even," Veaner said. "We didn't anticipate that we would make money this year. I'm happy to say not only have we paid our bills, but thanks to our sponsors, sales, and contributions we made a minimum of $1,200."Veaner said that a conservative estimate of 2,000 people attended, including 400 who were bussed from overflow parking at the Lansing schools,making nearly $1,000 of donations that day alone. With one bill for bus services pending, she says the profit could go as high as $1,900 depending on the final amount of that bill. She said the Community Council has not yet voted on how to use the money, but Veaner anticipated that most would be used to seed the 2008 festival, and if the profits are on the high side of that range the Community Council might choose to make an award to a Lansing service group.
For many years the Community Council was virtually inactive, only serving as a funnel for United Way funding for the Lansing Recreation Department, Lansing Older Adult Program (LOAP), Lansing Drop-In Program, Lansing Youth Services, and emergency aid. When it was reconstituted last year new council members wanted to expand the group's activities raising more money and widening the stable of local organizations it serves. Additionally it wanted to reinstitute a community celebration to follow in the footsteps of the earlier council that hosted Lansing Day for nearly ten years in the '80s and '90s.
"We wanted to have a celebration that would bring the community together in one place, since Lansing is so large and has no central main street," Veaner said. "We wanted to increase awareness about the Lansing Community Council, and possibly get new members, and to provide a venue for local non-profit organizations and businesses to reach out to the fastest growing community in Tompkins County, which is Lansing."
She thanked the Town Board for their support, Attorney Guy Krogh for helping the Community Council, and Park Superintendent Steve Colt and his team for their support, and the community. Harbor Festival T-Shirts sold briskly enough that the council had to reorder twice to meet the demand. She also thanked the members of the Community Council. "I feel like I am only the chair because I have nine legs holding me up," she said. "It's a tribute to the groundwork that those people laid down that we were able to reschedule and pull off the event."She reported that 50 vendors including 10 not-for-profit organizations participated, and most have said they want to return next year. "The park personnel were phenomenal," she said. "The park was absolutely pristine, and I think the community really responded to that. I expected there to be significant cleanup after this event, and I picked up two cups. That was it! Everyone left the park as they found it."
Veaner told the board that plans are afoot for next year, with the festival scheduled for August 23, 2008. She also noted that the council has received a lot of feedback and requests for new features, including fireworks. But she said that an obstacle to staying past sundown is that the electrical service in the park isn't enough to safely move a large number of people out of the park. She said the Community Council would like to be involved in a project to bring more power and lighting to the park if the Town Council wants to pursue that.
But fireworks or not, next year's festival is in the planning phase. A merry-go-round may be added, and the entertainment lineup is being developed. "The countdown has already begun for next year on our Web site," she said.
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