Sponsors vital to the future of the festival

By ANN R. HARNEY
Staff Writer

Ten years ago, Louis Prichard worked with George Foreman to raise money for the first Great American Brass Band Festival.

The budget was about $70,000.

Ten years later, Prichard is still raising money for the festival and Foreman is still festival organizer. Those things - and others - remain the same, including the need to raise money for the festival.

In the 10 years of the festival, the budget has more than doubled, Prichard said recently. This year's budget is about $150,000, but just as in that first year, the core of money to put on the event comes from a group of people, many of whom were there in the beginning.

But to keep the festival growing, that group of sponsors needs to continue to grow.

``Our goal is to welcome and encourage new sponsors and contributors,'' Prichard said. When it comes to the festival, the word sponsor means more than the dictionary definition. Sponsors of the brass band festival are those businesses, organizations and individuals who contribute $1,000 each year.

``It could not happen if we didn't have the support of the local sponsors,'' said Prichard, who also said he has been involved with the event off and on throughout its 10 years.

Many of the sponsors for that first festival will contribute to this year's event. ``For the most part, for those who have been core supporters, there has been no reluctance to continue support.''

Last month, soon after a meeting of the fund-raising committee which Prichard heads up, about 50 percent of the money needed for this year's festival had been raised. ``That's typical,'' Prichard said. ``We're in pretty good shape.''

He said there are about 50 core supporters and in addition to the sponsors, there are the larger contributors. Centre College contributes what may be the most essential part of the festival and that's the grounds in front of Old Centre where the main stage is placed and where Saturday night's picnic is held.

The festival also receives revenues from the sale of the picnic tables, admission charges for the conferences and the direct sales of festival paraphernalia such as pins, posters and T-shirts. The festival also receives part of the sale price of recordings of The Advocate Brass Band. Attending the festival is still free and the largest of those sources of funds is still the sponsors.

The size of the budget has grown, Prichard said, in large part because the number and quality of the bands participating each year and the cost of transportation and lodging for those bands. While much of the in-kind costs are donated - such as the use of vans to transport bands from the airport to Danville - some costs can only be taken care of with good old cold, hard cash. The 1999 festival will feature bands from Canada to Georgia and places in between.

For the festival to continue to grow, more sponsors and contributors must be added to that core list. ``We've tried to include and ask for new sponsors,'' Prichard said. ``It's important for the festival to succeed for us to bring in new sponsors.''

The festival - and raising money for it - is almost a year-round project. Prichard said Foreman plans a trip to Europe this year and while there may recruit some performers for the 2000 festival. Prichard said he hoped area residents realized how important the event is to Danville and surrounding communities. He said it gives the city an amazing amount of good publicity.

``There's no question in my mind in terms of bringing people to Danville, the festival is very important. I can't tell you the number of times I've been out of town and when people find out I'm from Danville, the number of them who have asked about the festival.''

He said through the festival, Danville received positive publicity from such disparate groups as National Public Radio and the Wall Street Journal.

In Prichard's view, the festival is much more than a fun weekend for those in attendance. ``I hope we understand that this is an important kind of event and the support should be there. I would encourage people who have not been financial supporters to consider some form of financial support, because I think it benefits us all to have this kind of event in this community.''

Major Contributors:

Centre College, City of Danville, Danville-Boyle County Chamber of Commerce, Boyle County Fiscal Court, Bank One-Kentucky, Danville-Boyle County Convention and Visitors Bureau, The Advocate Messenger.

Band Sponsors:

Farmers National Bank of Danville, National City Bank.

Sponsors:

AdMart International, The Allen Co., Inc., Bob Allen Motor Mall, American Greetings Corporation, ATR Wire and Cable Co., Inc., BellSouth, Caldwell Stone Company, Caterpillar, Central Kentucky Federal Savings Bank, Central Kentucky Federal Savings Bank, Central Kentucky Trust Co., Cunningham Golf Car Company, Inc., Danville Office Equipment Co., Inc., R.R. Donnelley and Sons Company, Farmers National Bank - Lebanon, Firstar Bank - Danville, Anonymous, J.J.B. Hilliard, W.L. Lyons, Inc., Johnson & Pohlmann Insurance, Kentucky Utilities Company, The Kroger Company, M&M Electric, Inc., Matsushita Home Appliance Corporation of America, Mr. and Mrs. George M. McClure III, Ephraim McDowell Health, JCPenney Co. Inc. - Danville, Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company, Hobart Corporation - Danville, Red Wing Shoe Company, Inc., Rental Plus, Nancibel and Scott Rogers, Anonymous, Slone's Signature Markets, Stuart Powell Ford-Mazda, Inc., Sellers Engineering Company, WRNZ 105.1 FM, WHIR AM 1230, "The Skunk" 107.1 FM, Waste Management's Stevens Dispos-All Service.