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Monday, July 25, 2005

Music Fest Canceled… Completely.

Posted by on July 25 at 10:37 AM

So first the Music Fest’s future was iffy, then it was canceled with slight possibility of a They Might Be Giants show at the Moore Theater, and now, well now it’s called off completely. The Northwest Programs for the Arts released this official statement this morning:

Seattle Music Fest Canceled

The 10th annual Seattle Music Fest at Alki Beach will not be held this year. Despite the generosity of sponsors such as Scion, Doc Martens, and Vitamin Water, costs were not met and organizers decided to cancel the three-day music festival. Potential sponsors have expressed a great deal of interest in becoming involved in SMF in the future and Northwest Programs for the Arts is hopeful that the festival will return.

Although sponsorship dollars were scarce this year, dedicated volunteers were not. Over thirty core volunteers worked countless hours over the past several months to try to make the festival a reality. Northwest Programs for the Arts (NPA) Executive Director Adam Sheridan says "The talent and enthusiasm of our volunteers is NPA's greatest strength. We hope that the community will join us in thanking these volunteers for the strong commitment to the arts in our community.” Sheridan also stands behind the twenty local bands who committed to playing the festival. Talent coordinator Kiah Patzkowsky says, "We had a solid lineup. Hopefully people will still check out these bands because they deserve it.”

Northwest Programs for the Arts is using the cancellation as an opportunity to focus on its other programs. NPA supports local artists and provides cultural opportunities for the community. The Northwest Music Fund provides resources to local talent, including mentoring by music industry professionals. Through its Save Public Art program NPA continues to lead the effort to recast the Statue of Liberty at Alki Beach.

This year's festival planning was costly and NPA hopes to recoup those expenses. Those interested in contributing or helping raise funds should contact NPA at (206) 632-4545. To volunteer or to learn more about NPA, visit www.northwestarts.org.

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