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Local vendors mull costs as Dean Fest draws closer
BY RACHEL KIPP
With hopes of up to 100,000 visitors coming to town in June for James Dean Fest, area vendors are making preparations to spend the potentially profitable three-day weekend selling food, beverages and gifts to the crowd.
"I think it's just going to be a one-time event, and we just really thought it would a great opportunity," said Terry Fratus of First United Methodist Church of Gas City, which will sell soft drinks, popcorn, snow cones and possibly hot dogs during the June 3 through 5 event. "We should get a lot of people in."
But opportunity comes with a price.
Space at the Marion Municipal Airport costs more than what is typically charged at Grant County festivals. Local food, beverage and retail vendors are being asked to pay $300 plus 15 percent of their gross sales each day of the festival for a 10-by-20-foot space. Electrical hookup costs an another $75, according to the James Dean Fest Web site.
"They're going to have to get a band or entertainment that is kind of known around different states as opposed to just around in a few counties," said Bill Rock, whose family has sold elephant ears, giant tenderloins, corn dogs and lemon shake-ups at Grant County celebrations since 1977. "They're going to have to spend some money on some entertainment to draw 100,000 people."
Rock said the cost of vendor booths at the annual Ducktail Run Rod and Custom Show cost about $25 for swap meet and crafter space and a flat fee of $400 for food vendors.
When they work an event, vendors must pay costs for health inspections, food, supplies and the cost of the space in advance. To make a profit, they have to be sure the crowd volume will make up for the expense, Rock said.
"You're in the hole immediately probably $1,000 before the event even begins, tack on another $300 and you're probably $1,300 in the hole before you ever sell your first product," he continued. "And giving up 15 percent of that makes it a little tougher to come out of the hole."
Festival organizers said the prices are higher than other events because of the cost associated with turning the airport from what is essentially empty space into a venue with utilities, staging areas and other infrastructure.
"We're taking over the whole municipal airport, it doesn't have anything there," said John Goldstone, executive producer and CEO of the James Dean Fest. "We have to bring in everything in terms of services and generators, which is all quite costly."
Traffic at the James Dean Fest headquarters in downtown Marion, which this week acquired a sign and posters featuring the actor on the building's exterior, has been slow but steady, said Jennifer Seybold, wife of Marion Mayor Wayne Seybold, who is running the site for vendor sign-ups and ticket and merchandise sales.
Rock, who is organizing a carnival in Gas City that will occur over the Dean Fest weekend, hopes he and other vendors considering the airport will see their investment pay off.
"I hope we're able to pull this off," he said. "Grant County definitely could use a shot in the arm from outside visitors, however you've got to be realistic in the same token. Dreaming is fine, but reality is reality."
The reality is, according to Seybold, that Dean Fest is not like other celebrations that have been held in the county.
"It's a once-in-a-lifetime event, and we'll have thousands and thousands of people here," said Seybold, who estimated between 15 and 50 vendors are or will be confirmed for the airport. "So much money is going into making this event successful, and that's why the prices are the way they are."
Some vendors are choosing instead to buy space downtown for the Forever Cool Weekend being put on by Main Street Marion. Sheila Randolph said her S&T Root Beer concession would have had to sell 1,000 hot dogs to recoup the cost of space at the airport.
"We'd like to be out there, it was just going to be a little too much, it would be too hard for us to make a good amount of money," she said. "We're looking forward to it. We hope it's going to be good downtown too."
The Main Street Marion event runs from Thursday to Saturday and combines elements of the group's monthly First Fridays celebrations, with additional food, entertainment and space, project manager Betsy Coss said.
June's First Friday usually includes the Fraternal Order of Police Car Show and a motorcycle run, which is being moved to Saturday morning to accommodate traffic from visitors. Main Street Marion is adding a beer tent, a Saturday pancake breakfast and carnival games.
"We want people from out of town to see what a typical First Friday is," Coss said. "I think that will give a good impression of Marion, to see what we really are like."
Main Street Marion is also charging higher vendor prices than usual, due to the cost of providing electricity in the additional vendor space between the Courthouse Square and the Mississinewa River. First Friday vendors will be charged according to the regular First Friday schedule. Vendors taking up the additional space will be charged $50 plus 10 percent commission for a 10-by-10-foot space, or $75 plus 10 percent commission for a 10-by-20-foot foot trailer space. Electrical hookup costs $50 to $75.
"What we're doing is if you're a regular First Friday person, our loyal First Friday vendors can set up around the square, but if you just want to do this one event and you've never participated before, then you have to set up by the river," Coss said. "That's why the different cost. We have to pay for electric panels, put up and bring in more restrooms and put the tent up, so it's very expensive."
Originally published 04-03-2005
Source: Chronicle-Tribune
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