HELENA, WEST HELENA, AR – Thousands will be humming the blues in Helena-West Helena this weekend. The Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival, formerly known as the King Biscuit Blues Festival, kicked off Thursday. But organizers say they're singing the blues too. They say this economy has forced them for the first time in 24 years to charge admission to offset the $300,000 cost of the festival. Admission is $5 for one day and $10 for a three-day pass.
“It’s always a hard decision to make because the festival has always been known for it’s open air feeling,” said Daniel Sims, the festival’s associate director: “So this is a real test for us.”
And it's a test for the city as well, a city hoping to build on the festival's fortunes.
“To the vendors, to the store owners, to the community -- it is just a wonderful lifeblood for our community,” said Mark Price, chief of staff for the city’s mayor. “It gives people a chance to see what we have to offer to our community.”
Organizers expect attendance for the three-day event will drop this year because of the new fee, the economy, and the weather.
“Last year [attendance was] around 80,000,” Sims said. “This year [attendance will be] a little lower, probably around 65,000 to 70,000.”
But blues lovers say $5 is a small price to pay for a front-row seat to some of the biggest names in the business.
“We haven’t got much culture left, and this is original culture here,” said Chuck Nutter, who attends the festival every year with his wife.
Sims agreed.
“Being able to get quality entertainment for that amount is really unheard of anywhere,” he said. “We’re really glad to be able to offer this at that rate.”
He said despite the economy, “people find a way to help us in any way that they can.”
“I think that next year, through the events that we’re already brainstorming, people will be willing to do that again,” Sims said.
