For the first time ever, the annual Ballard SeafoodFest has started a fundraising campaign to raise money for this year’s festival. They’re fundraising on Kickstarter.com, a website that allows groups or individuals to raise money for creative projects. SeafoodFest organizers are hoping to raise $5,000 by July 4. Here is a link to their Kickstarter site.
Stan Boreson, from a previous year’s festival
The festival has always offered free admission, but has traditionally asked for donations during the festival. But this year, they’ve decided to raise money prior to the event. “If our goal is met, we promise not to ask for monetary donations from the stages and our brightly painted fish will happily serve as mere decoration,” according to their Kickstarter page. The donations will go directly to performer fees and stage production.
From the organizers:
SeafoodFest was “local” before local was cool and our goal is to keep it that way. We’re passionate about our community and are forever seeking ways to contribute to and honor the special, quirkly little neighborhood in which we are blessed to live. Your support shows you care too! Make a pledge today and help keep Ballard SeafoodFest alive and FREE!
This year, the SeafoodFest will be without its star accordion player, Stan Boreson, who has opened the festival in years past. He’s now in his 80s, and has decided to retire from the stage. So, the organizers have decided to honor Boreson by having an accordion in every band that plays at the festival.
…we’re presenting a lively musical mix, from the lilting Scandinavian sounds of Pickled Herring (whose lead singer and accordionist, Lori Hanson, took her first lessons from Stan right on Market Street), to the traditional cowboy country of Wylie & the Wild West Show. In between, audiences can celebrate the mighty accordion with performers such as Miles & Karina, Pearl D’Jango, Juan Barco, The Legendary Oaks, Two Scoops Combo, Matt the Hoopla and Orville Johnson’s Sunday Morning Gospel. Finally, we’ll feature San Francisco’s Main Squeeze, the Squeezebox Goddess herself, Reneé de la Prade.
SeafoodFest 2012 will be July 14 and 15 in the heart of Ballard. To learn more about the festival, click here.
