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Money Woes Force Fest To Walk Plank

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By JO-ANN JOHNSTON, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 15, 2007

DADE CITY - Plankfest 3, the homegrown alternative rock festival, is over even before the first band has warmed up.

Organizer Brad Ash said money and organizational problems plagued the event he had hoped to stage Oct. 27 at the Pasco County Fairgrounds.

Losing the event isn't disappointing just to local music fans and young musicians looking for someplace to play. This year, the event was to raise money to build a skateboard park in Dade City. Ash was hoping to draw 500 or more people, selling tickets for $10 each.

But Ash couldn't come up with enough money for staging expenses.

'I was about $1,000 short,' he said Saturday.

It takes about $2,500 to cover the festival's printing, equipment and materials costs, Ash said.

Part of the problem is that Ash was trying to raise the money as an individual, rather than as a nonprofit organization, so he couldn't accept tax-deductible donations.

The venture was never envisioned as a full-fledged business enterprise. Ash, a musician and special education teacher at Pasco High School, started Plankfest a couple of years ago on a shoestring to give young rock artists a place to play, and it grew.

Last year, the festival attracted 300 people, he said.

'It's too big a monster for me to handle by myself.'

In addition to being short of cash, Ash said he was finding it difficult to line up enough volunteers. Several of the nine musical acts he had lined up also had expressed disappointment about their scheduled performance times.

Bands from Pasco County, Tampa and Orlando had been on the roster, featuring musicians in their teens and 20s.

Ash said he will continue working with the high school and Pasco County Fair Association to give young rockers places to perform. A rock club is starting at the high school, and the 2008 Pasco County Fair may provide performance opportunities.

As for the skate park, local businesswoman Allison Todd said she will continue her long-term fundraising efforts.

Todd, one of the owners of The Coffee Mug on Meridian Avenue, said she regularly sees children skateboarding on public streets and sidewalks for lack of a dedicated park.

'I'll try to find something else' that can raise money for a park, she said.

Reporter Jo-Ann Johnston can be reached at (352) 521-3062 or jfjohnston@tampatrib.com.

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