The 35th and likely final Bele Chere wrapped up about 6 p.m. Aug. 28 — and its wrapup came in the nick of time, leaving its positive legacy intact.

The music and craft festival, founded in 1979, long-ago accomplished its mission of helping revitalize a nearly dead downtown Asheville by bringing new businesses and visitors to the central business district.

Bele Chere eventually morphed into something that was more annoying than stimulative for many merchants. Indeed, on summer weekends, the downtown area is bustling with locals and visitors alike, rendering the festival unnecessary.

The apparent final nail in the coffin came recently when City Council, citing budget shortfalls, decided to discontinue funding Bele Chere after this year.

Rumors have been rampant that some organization would pick up the Bele Chere name and format, but none has stepped forward (at least as of our Aug. 1 deadline).

A for-profit produce would likely need to place a gate around the party, charge admission and move it from downtown, “and then it wouldn’t be Bele Chere,” city festivals coordinator Sandra Travis said recently. A nonprofit probably would find it difficult to come up with the resources and funds to produce the festival.

Bele Chere served the city well and we are glad it ended — by all accounts — with a bang instead of a whimper.