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Harbor Fest ready to sail for 21st year
from: jsonline.com
by Kris Kochman
Racine - Harbor Fest is scheduled to open one week later this year, and gate ticket prices will increase by $1 as organizers aim to turn a profit at this year's event, officials said last week.
By moving the festival away from Father's Day weekend - it will be held this year from June 21 to 24 at Racine's Festival Park - organizers are hoping to draw a stronger Sunday turnout, board president Joe Mooney said in an interview last week. Last year's festival attendance was about 20,000 - the same as 2005. Attendance was good the first three days of the event, but few people attended the festival on a rainy Father's Day last year. The festival has drawn as many as 30,000.
Meanwhile, profits for the festival have steadily declined since it earned $60,000 in 2002. Money raised by the event is used to award donations to charities and fund scholarships. Board member Richard Torine said a decision has not yet been made on charitable giving for this year's event.
The festival didn't make any money last year as the board splurged on entertainment and two nights of fireworks to celebrate its 20th anniversary. Organizers initially thought the event lost about $15,000, but Torine said that after final contributions from sponsors were tallied, bookkeepers found that the event was "more or less break even."
Organizers are hoping that JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS will help draw a big crowd as the headline act for Saturday, just as the group did in its 1999 appearance at the festival.
Jett, known for her 1980s hits "I Love Rock 'n' Roll" and "I Hate Myself for Loving You," has had a resurgence in popularity in recent years, said Torine, the festival's director of programming.
He said Jett has become "a hot commodity" after returning to her punk rock roots with her recent music.
Torine also has confirmed several other entertainers for this year's festival, including blues guitarist Ronnie Baker Brooks, son of Lonnie Brooks, who will be the headline performer Sunday during the festival.
Torine said he had tried to book Brooks for last year's festival but had to pass due to scheduling conflicts.
Big James and the Chicago Playboys, a seven-piece blues band from Chicago, will perform on the Jean's Jazz Jetty on Saturday.
Singer-comedian Pat McCurdy will return to Harbor Fest on its opening night this year, when the festival once again opens with a free evening of entertainment. McCurdy, whom Torine described as "a crowd favorite," is a regular at Harbor Fest.
Torine expects to once again offer festival-goers a mix of music on three stages, including rock, country, jazz, blues and more.
As the festival moves into its 21st year, organizers are focusing on keeping ideas that work - like the free Thursday evening admission - and tweaking the things that didn't.
Mooney said organizers were pleased overall with last year's 20th anniversary celebration.
"We overspent in some areas," he said, adding that the festival will stick closer to its budget this year and is seeking sponsors to cover big-ticket expenses such as a fireworks display.
Harbor Fest hours are 4:30 p.m. to midnight Thursday, 4:30 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday; noon to 1 a.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday. Last year's Saturday hours were 4 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Advance tickets still cost $6, while gate ticket prices will cost $10, up from $9.
The increase in gate ticket prices was necessary to cover rising expenses associated with the festival, officials said. The biggest expense is the cost - $30,000 - of using Festival Park.
Five years ago, the festival would have turned a nice profit with an attendance of 20,000, Torine noted. Instead, he said, "we were pleased we broke even."
The festival continues to operate on "a year-to-year basis," Torine said.
"We concentrate on this year's festival. After this year's event we'll figure out about the future. We want to keep going," he said.
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