Festival takes next step to reorganize

by Richard Lamb, Advance Editor

The reorganized Nautical City Festival Committee, Inc. (NFC) is taking steps to move forward in a positive direction and preserve a tradition in Rogers City. With the reorganization comes a fresh approach that brings a new openness and an appeal to the community for help.

The first step to that end came when presidents from the six member organizations, the Lions Club, the Optimist Club, the Kiwanis Club, the Rogers City Servicemen?s Club, the Knights of Columbus, and the Rogers City Area Chamber of Commerce, met last October after concerns mounted over several issues surrounding the festival, most notably its finances. The stakeholders asked for an accounting from the executive director at a meeting conducted at the Presque Isle District Library.

Questions were raised about the way the NFC had been run over the past few years, and no financial audits had been submitted to the member organizations for the last three years.

The new board dismissed executive director Kammie Dennis as one of its first orders of business, after she was formally notified of, but didn?t show up for the meeting with the presidents. Since then, the 12-member board of directors have been meeting nearly every week intent on saving the festival.

THE GROUP HAS prepared a letter, which will be sent to local residents via bulk mail. The letter lists the new festival committee members, tells of its mission, the state of the festival and gives some background on the changes made.

?These changes were necessary as a result of the fiscal mismanagement of funds over the last three years. The situation is in an ongoing process of being sorted out to determine how this occurred and to what extent the damage may be. The current status is that the damages may exceed $20,000,? the letter says. It is not known how high the figure could be, since many things, such as tent admission and alcoholic beverage sales in the festival tent, were handled in cash, making it difficult to account for in a checks and balances system.

WHILE 10 MEMBERS of the committee are focused on the 2009 festival, new NFC president Dennis Downie, who represents the Lions Club, has assigned two members to look back into finances. They are dedicated to reconstructing the events leading to the festival?s current state of financial turmoil while the rest focus on looking forward to plan the 2009 events.

In addition to Downie, the board members are: Gary Nowak (Servicemen) vice-president, Richard Bennett (K of C) treasurer, Rebecca Hanson (Chamber) secretary, Jim Fleis (Chamber), Mike Myers (Kiwanis), Tab Coseo (Kiwanis), Scott Bannasch (Optimist), Robert Starnes (Optimist), Paul Dubbs (K of C), Dennis Bannon (Servicemen), and Mark Potter (Lions).

Those members looking backwards are tasked with finding bank accounts used by the NFC and tracing a paper trail of expenses and income. That has proved a difficult task, since former executive director Kammie Dennis has refused to cooperate by turning over records, which were in her possession. Accounts have been found at several area financial institutions and it is suspected not all funds have been located yet. Dennis was hired to run the 2001 festival after former executive director Larry Wissner moved to Texas following a successful run as the first executive director of the festival. Wissner was hired in March of 1992 and directed nine festivals.

IN THE TURMOIL, the board remains optimistic about the future of the festival. ?This board has taken the approach that despite of our current financial status, it is imperative that the Nautical City Festival continue. It is in the best interest of the community to move forward and put on a festival that is second to none,? the letter states.

The NFC realizes that many community members are needed to make the festival work. Restoring their trust in the NFC, while asking for more help, is the purpose of the letter. ?On the plus side, the festival is well established with the equipment needed. Also, we have received support from the city of Rogers City and some local businesses in regards to services,? the committee tells in the letter.

?We need your help. Now is the time for the community to come together to preserve what has become a signature event in Rogers City. A contribution now will demonstrate a positive reaction to a crisis situation,? the letter says, and gives an address (Post Office Box 55 in Rogers City) to send in a contribution.

DOWNIE SAID THAT many individuals have aided the new board. Several former festival committee-members have offered their help and groups have come forward to tell

the new board what they have done for the festival in past years. Longtime Miss Rogers City pageant director Pennie Kelly is back at the pageant, after resigning after last year?s pageant regarding a disagreement with the NFC.

Former secretary/treasurer Janice Little has been assisting the board on a volunteer basis. She resigned from the festival four years ago.

Telephone calls to the festival phone numbers have been re-routed to the Rogers City Area Chamber of Commerce office where David Snow, chamber executive director, answers them. Snow has been assisting the festival on a volunteer basis.

The festival committee is working on the schedule for the 2009 festival and hopes to publish the schedule in the spring. The committee is in the midst of finalizing the schedule of events.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.