Sundridge Sunflower Festival creating plan to disperse festival funds in case event folds
In an Oct. 24 letter to town council, festival committee chair Erica Spencer wrote if it should happen that the festival ceases to exist, the committee wants any money that’s left over dispersed to help better the area
The Sundridge Sunflower Festival committee has created a plan to disperse its funds if it ever ceases to exist.
However, Sundridge’s Coun. Fraser Williamson, who is council’s representative on the committee, wants it understood from the outset there are no plans to dissolve the festival.
Up until now, the Village of Sundridge has held the festival money, which belongs to the Sunflower Festival, in a reserve fund.
As the committee would need money, it would access the necessary amounts, going through municipal staff.
However, Williamson says the multiple transactions the festival committee was making took a lot of staff’s time.
To alleviate this, the decision was made for the committee to have its own bank account and for the village to transfer the funds into the Sunflower Festival bank account.
In an Oct. 24 letter to town council, festival committee chair Erica Spencer wrote if it should happen that the festival ceases to exist, the committee wants any money that’s left over dispersed to help better the area.
Spencer says the committee decided it would like to disperse the funds to the Heritage Festival in Burk’s Falls or another local festival, a parent council capital program at the local school, the Sundridge Foodbank, the Lions Park playground, in addition to “any other concerns in the community that could arise.”
Williamson says the festival committee hopes the cessation plan would never need to be put into action.
Council is on board with the concept of dispersing the funds but not entirely with how the committee recommends any remaining money be allocated.
Coun. Sharon Smith says if the festival did end, she would prefer to leave the funds intact for about three years.
Smith suggested not dispersing the funds right away because it’s possible another group could step forward and restart the festival.
If that happened, this new group would have start-up money that it could apply to a new festival.
Smith also didn’t like the idea of the accumulated funds leaving the community, like handing money over to Burk’s Falls for its local festival or a similar type of event.
Smith also opposed sending the money to the local food bank or parent council.
She did support the idea of giving money to the Lions Park playground.
Sundridge council is currently looking at putting new playground infrastructure at the playground.
With no clear consensus on what direction to pursue, the council wants to meet with festival committee representatives in January to discuss the committee’s plan further.
The festival committee has about $21,000 in its account.
The next sunflower festival is scheduled for Aug. 9, 2025.
By Rocco Frangione is a Local Journalism Initiative reporter with Almaguin News
