Festival of Friends - Moving to Ancaster??

omro · #1 Posted **Oct 5, 2010, 7:11 PM**

I was told today that the Festival of Friends is leaving Gage Park and moving to the Ancaster Fairgrounds. Is this a rumour or the truth?

SteelTown · #2 Posted **Oct 5, 2010, 7:54 PM**

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...eave-gage-park

omro · #3 Posted **Oct 5, 2010, 8:35 PM**

No, no. Not "may" leave. Definitely is leaving I heard.

SteelTown · #4 Posted **Oct 5, 2010, 9:59 PM**

Ah, probably did. You likely won't hear about it until after the election.

highwater · #5 Posted **Oct 5, 2010, 10:05 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by omro

No, no. Not "may" leave. Definitely is leaving I heard.

I heard that too.

omro · #6 Posted **Oct 5, 2010, 10:27 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by highwater

I heard that too.

Why is it leaving though? If it moves to Ancaster, I'll be less able to go

What is being done to keep it at Gage Park?

SteelTown · #7 Posted **Oct 5, 2010, 10:59 PM**

Parking. Last time pretty much everyone got a parking ticket that parked in the neighbourhood.

Plenty of parking space in Ancaster.

omro · #8 Posted **Oct 5, 2010, 11:10 PM**

And why is parking such an issue?

SteelTown · #9 Posted **Oct 5, 2010, 11:21 PM**

http://www.thespec.com/news/local/ar...ng-at-festival

omro · #10 Posted **Oct 5, 2010, 11:24 PM**

Ok and Morelli is working to keep the Festival at Gage Park?

SteelTown · #11 Posted **Oct 6, 2010, 1:43 AM**

Honestly I dunno. I've can't remember hearing Morelli standing up for something in his ward other than policing services.

Don't know why City's management team can't just ignore parking enforcement for the area for a single weekend of the year.

highwater · #12 Posted **Oct 6, 2010, 2:33 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by omro

Ok and Morelli is working to keep the Festival at Gage Park?

Morelli? Working to keep something positive in his ward?

Morelli is the one behind the increased parking enforcement. He claimed he'd received 'complaints', but Lieberman canvassed the nearby streets and couldn't find any residents who had complained. Kinda like the 'complaints' he received about the Pearl.

omro · #13 Posted **Oct 6, 2010, 2:44 AM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by highwater

Morelli? Working to keep something positive in his ward?

Morelli is the one behind the increased parking enforcement. He claimed he'd received 'complaints', but Lieberman canvassed the nearby streets and couldn't find any residents who had complained. Kinda like the 'complaints' he received about the Pearl.

Seriously? Does Morelli want open air festivals banned from Gage Park?

highwater · #14 Posted **Oct 6, 2010, 3:36 AM**

He wants no parking on the streets around Festival of Friends which pretty much has the effect of killing it, so yes, he would rather see the end of a cultural institution that is one of the few bright lights in his ward, just to placate a few neighbours. Either that, or he just hates Loren Lieberman the same way he hates Gary Santucci. Hamilton is a village, really, and it never ceases to amaze me the degree to which personal animosities drive policy to the detriment of its citizens.

markbarbera · #15 Posted **Oct 6, 2010, 11:47 AM**

So, Lieberman is threatening to pull his city-subsidized private business out of the lower city because of limited parking. Is it just me or does this have a familiar ring to it. Am I to understand in this case Lieberman is a hero and not a villain?

I don't see how there can be a necessity for streetside parking when there is splenty of on-site parking, not to mention the fact that the site is directly serviced by public transit, including the rapid transit line.

BrianE · #16 Posted **Oct 6, 2010, 2:49 PM**

There are other issues as well. Public works recently put up some awsome looking cedar fences around some of the 200+ year old trees. I don't think the festival vedors were consulted and I think they're angry and letting organizers know about it.

Personally I think the way they set up around and in between the tree preservation fences added extra atmosphere to everything.

Combined with the crack down on illegal parking I think the festival feels like they're being targeted. It's disapointing because rather than work with these changes and improve the festival experience they're just going to bail. All this because 500 - 1000 of the 100 000 people who attended didn't want to pay $5 measly dollars to park in Gage park and got a ticket for parking illegaly and then complained to organizers and said they would never come back.

Whatever. Go then.

omro · #17 Posted **Oct 6, 2010, 2:55 PM**

Is the Festival considered a Ward 3 asset or liability?

highwater · #18 Posted **Oct 6, 2010, 3:18 PM**

It's an arts-related asset, which means Morelli considers it a liability.

omro · #19 Posted **Oct 6, 2010, 3:33 PM**

So that means no one currently at the council level is fighting to keep the Festival in the Ward?

sofasurfer · #20 Posted **Oct 6, 2010, 5:28 PM**

Quote:

Originally Posted by highwater

Hamilton is a village, really, and it never ceases to amaze me the degree to which personal animosities drive policy to the detriment of its citizens.

Honestly haven't had the luxury of time to be able to investigate this in the detail it deserves, but this is far from the first time I've heard comments alluding to this succinct remark...

I'm sure there's some kind of Oscar Wilde-eqsue comment that could be made in the not-too-distant future if we lose Festival of Friends and PanAm