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Tuesday, 06 February 2007 15:18 |
 Anyone who has lived in Asheville for at least one summer is well aware of the monstrosity that occupies our city for one long weekend in July: Bele Chere.
Billed as the "largest outdoor festival in the Southeast" (a designation that apparently presumes New Orleans is not part of the Southeast), the annual event draws as many as 300,000 people to Asheville.
Considering that the population of Asheville barely exceeds a quarter of that size, it is clear that Bele Chere is hardly a festival for locals.
Furthermore, while some local businesses do a brisk business during the festival, many retailers have charged that it actually hurts sales at a time that, without the festival, would be a busy season for them anyway.
This is due, in part, to the festivalës focus on non-local vendors, which line the streets ÇƒÓ blocking access to downtown stores.
The real winners
at Bele Chere are the corporate sponsors, such as Budweiser, Coca-Cola
and Charter Communications, which rake in huge sales during the
three-day event.
Add to the mix
the tremendous environmental impact of the festival and the tens of
thousands of dollars the city loses every year on it and we have to
question whether Bele Chere is worth having at all.
Why should the
city spend thousands of taxpayer dollars to subsidize a festival that
primarily benefits a handful of transnational corporations while
trashing our downtown?
Some of these concerns were raised by citizens who spoke Jan. 30 at a forum about Bele Chereës future.
Among the top suggestions offered was for the event to feature more local businesses, artists and food vendors.
Of course,
Asheville already has at least one annual festival that highlights
local talent. The Lexington Avenue Arts and Fun Festival features only
local vendors and performers and is highly regarded by many residents
for its ability to showcase the great talents of Ashevilleës local
artists.
We would urge
Bele Chere ÇƒÓ if it must continue at all ÇƒÓ to take up this model and be
a festival for and by the people of Asheville.
Asheville is a
unique community with an incredible concentration of great artists,
fine restaurants and local businesses. It is time we valued what we
have ÇƒÓ and stop selling ourselves out to the higest bidder.
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