DNA: Strawberry Festival needs upgrade

• Newark Strawberry Festival is a Newark Kiwanis Club fundraiser for Camp O’Bannon, other charities.
• The festival raised a record $69,750 last year, for a profit of $34,620.

NEWARK – Some downtown merchants want to see changes to the annual Newark Strawberry Festival, which they say resembles a flea market.

Downtown Newark Association members discussed the 31-year-old festival on the Courthouse Square during Tuesday’s monthly meeting.

The Strawberry Festival, scheduled for May 29 to 31, is a Newark Kiwanis Club fundraiser for Camp O’Bannon, a summer camp for low-income children, and other local charities.

Eric Mason, owner of The Grill Chop House on North Park Place, said the Strawberry Festival costs his business about $10,000 each year.

“It’s one event that’s a headache and gives no access to business,” Mason said. “Let’s make it Strawberries on the Square. It can’t be a flea market. Let’s make it an event that represents what it is.

“I love the (annual) car show. It’s just a totally different environment and clientele.”

Mason suggested increasing the fee for vendors, which may reduce the number of vendors but improve the quality.

Linnet Lowe, owner of Linnet’s Flowers on the Square, agreed with Mason: “There needs to be a change. I think we all feel that way.”

Linda Binger, owner of Linda X2, said there are multiple vendors selling the same merchandise.

“I felt like I was shopping at an outside flea market,” Binger said. “Let’s get some different vendors. I’m envisioning pie-eating contests, three-legged races.”

Tom Atha, chief creative officer of Earthwork Recording Studio and DNA president, said the discussion was not intended to bash the Strawberry Festival, but to talk about ways to improve downtown events.

“The perception of our area — it’s based on events,” Atha said. “What are the events we have currently, and what are we not doing?”

The meeting also focused on targeting niche industries as a way to bring shoppers to the downtown area.

Lynn Fawcett, chairman of this year’s Strawberry Festival and vice president of finance for Licking Knox Goodwill Industries, said the opinions of merchants are not new.

“I know there’s always been some questions about the caliber of vendors,” Fawcett said. “I’ve heard that for many years. I don’t know if it’s a broad view.”

The demographics of Newark would not lend themselves to having something like the Art and Wine Fest in Granville, Fawcett said.

“It caters to a large percentage of the demographics in Newark,” Fawcett said. “It’s an event they can walk to and there’s not a lot of cost involved.”

Fawcett said the festival may gradually change over time, but this year’s vendors will be the same who have attended for years.

“It may morph over time to an upgraded vendor, but we can’t get completely away from some of the stuff down there.”

Fawcett said he will meet with the mayor and the DNA in the coming weeks to discuss this year’s events.

The festival raised a record $69,750 last year, for a profit of $34,620. Camp O’Bannon received $20,500 and other charities received the remainder, according to Dave Doney, president of the Newark Kiwanis Club.

Craft vendors pay $125 for the three-day event and food vendors pay $300.

Doney said he understands the festival can be an inconvenience for merchants, but it brings 30,000 people annually to downtown, potentially bringing residual business there the rest of the year.

“We ask what can we do for the folks coming to the event, and maybe they can’t afford the high-end merchandise that has been talked about,” Doney said.

kmallett@newarkadvocate.com

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Twitter: @kmallett1958