Stonewall Jackson Heritage Arts and Crafts Jubilee leaders are breathing a little easier following a meeting with the West Virginia University Extension Service regarding the future of the Labor Day festival.
The festival's existence was being questioned by its own board of directors because of a debt of more than $18,000 owed to WVU Jackson's Mill. The debt was incurred through the lodging and feeding of the musicians and some demonstrators. WVU Extension Service leaders have agreed to allow the Jubilee to pay off the money over time.
The WVU Extension Service could also become a sponsor of the event, but its staff wants to have more of a say in the happenings of the festival. A meeting of the Jubilee board is set for 6 p.m. today at Jackson's Mill to discuss those terms.
"I feel positive something can be worked out," said Jubilee President Debby Walker. "We need to know a little bit more about the terms we are striking with WVU and what are the requirements."
Lewis County Commissioners Pat Boyle and Agnes Queen also attended last week's meeting in Morgantown over concerns what the disappearance of the Jubilee would mean to the local economy. The festival generates hotel/motel tax funds that are distributed not only to other tourist attractions, but also to local parks and the public library.
"They were very open to the plight of the Jubilee," Boyle said. "The Extension Service wants it to be successful. They don't want to see it fail, and that shows they are willing to work with us."
The commissioners were also concerned how the loss of the Jubilee would hinder the fundraising abilities of local school and civic groups.
Five school organizations and eight churches are part of the nearly two dozen groups that depend on the Jubilee for fundraising activities. The Hacker's Creek Pioneer Descendents, which sell soda pop and sarsaparilla during the weekend, traditionally obtains more than one-third of its operating budget from those sales.
"It's a sad situation," Queen said. "It would have a drastic impact for the county. Without that funding, those groups would have to make that money up."
The Jubilee has been self-sufficient in its 35 years of existence, but Walker said profits have been falling off for the past three to five years. A variety of reasons, ranging from the economy to the weather to higher gas prices, have been cited for the decline. Revenues to the Jubilee fell by about $16,000 this year, though craft sales remained constant, Walker said. But the festival is much more than just arts and crafts, she said, noting the popular quilt and needle arts shows, along with the traditional music and dance shows held over the weekend.
"People tend to think of it as just a craft show, but we really have so much more to offer," Walker said. "We have some wonderful things that make our show unique, but they don't make money."
The Jubilee leaders may be forced to search for corporate sponsorship for many of its events for the first time in its history. WVU Extension Service leaders also stressed the need to obtain grant funding for events, to work with the two local Convention and Visitors Bureaus and to create a new advertising and marketing strategy.
Some avenues suggested for increasing attendance were to offer free admission to children, to offer half-price admission to adults on Monday and to offer discounts on Friday at craft sales or discount coupons in area newspapers.
To help ensure future financial stability, the Jubilee is looking to institute a 10 percent budget cut and to re-evaluate the lodging, meals and budgetary needs provided to certain groups. The board may also look to reduce payroll by enlisting volunteer services for certain tasks.
The Jubilee has provided many improvements to Jackson's Mill in its history, doing everything from building the bridge between the grounds and the airstrip to funding the construction and renovations to several buildings at Jackson's Mill. The Jubilee annually contributes about $20,000 into the economy through its own payrolls and has donated money in support of local theater and choral productions and has given about $7,000 to Lewis County High School for auditorium lighting.
