THE Tallangatta Fifties Festival has been shelved after two decades with financial woes and negative feedback linked to its demise.
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The event saluted the decade in which the Lake Hume town switched locations and featured entertainers such as Johnny Young, The Delltones, Wilbur Wilde and Frankie J Holden in its time.
For the past four years, the Rotary Club of Tallangatta has organised the October celebration, but president Manny Chessari said it had become too difficult.
“It cost nearly $30,000 to stage and most of that is upfront money, so if we have a deluge of wet weather that would be down the gurgler,” Mr Chessari said.
“With the Rotary funds that were needed, in the long term we weren’t prepared to continue in that role.”
Mr Chessari said the club, when it took over, had received about $10,000 from the previous organisers but that had dwindled and even with fine conditions last year the festival “just broke even”.
He said $8000 to $10,000 was spent on acts, a similar amount on advertising and the remainder of the $30,000 budget was used for hiring equipment.
Last year, entry fees generated $22,000 with sponsorship covering the other $8000 to break even.
“There were a few on social media that suggested that $20 was too dear and we should be running it free of charge,” Mr Chessari said.
“We couldn’t see that happening unless we had a major benefactor throwing $25,000 in our lap for staging and the band.”
Long-time former organiser Cath Cavanagh said she felt the social media criticism was “a kick in the guts” and had a bearing on the festival ending.
“It’s too expensive was the main thing and it’s $20 – it was the cheapest around,” Mrs Cavanagh said.
“I think we live in a society that want everything for nothing.
“I’m extremely sad.”
Mrs Cavanagh had the brainwave of putting the stress on live music after having visited Australia’s country music capital prior to the 2000 Fifties Festival.
“I went to Tamworth and I thought if they can have music, why can’t we have music and it happened,” she said.
The Delltones, who played in 2004, 2009 and 2013, were the biggest drawcard at the festival that also featured crafts and classic cars.
“It did a lot for Tallangatta, the fifties festival,” Mrs Cavanagh said.
“It was nice if it made money, but that wasn’t the idea of the festival, it was about bringing to Tallangatta those artists who would otherwise not come in a million years.”
Towong mayor Aaron Scales said the Fifties gathering had been the third biggest festival in the shire behind the Man From Snowy River Bush Festival and the Mitta Muster.
“It is disappointing to see it won’t continue,” Cr Scales said.
“However, it’s a choice the committee made not to do it into the future and we understand and respect their decision.”
Mr Chessari said he had been “a little bit disappointed” at the muted response of locals and the council to the end of the occasion.
He said the club was happy to advise those willing to stage the festival.
“There’s an opening there for anyone else who wishes to take up the reigns,” he said.
The Rotary Club had a handful of members on an organising committee and all its personnel, 15 to 16, on deck for the days of the festival.