Not the tops for Top of the Park

PHOTOS: ELIYAHU GURFINKEL, THE ANN ARBOR NEWS

Brittany Lerner, 15, left, of New York, and Diane Scarpace, of Ann Arbor, dance to the music of the band Kentucky Chrome of Toledo, Ohio, on Sunday, the final night of Top of the Park. Weather hampered the festival this year.

Not the tops for Top of the Park

Festival might not break even, organizers say

BY DAVID JESSE

The Ann Arbor News

Nodding her head slightly to the music, Marissa Gomez sipped her drink and pondered the past three weeks.

“Is there a better way to spend a night than this?” she asked, looking around Ingalls Mall on the University of Michigan campus Saturday evening. “It’s perfect out. What a great night.”

Unfortunately for organizers of the 25th annual Ann Arbor Summer Festival and its free outdoor component, Top of the Park, the weather this year wasn’t always picture perfect.

As the festival wrapped up its annual three-week run Sunday night, organizers said attendance dropped this year, which led to a corresponding drop in food and beverage sales and donations. Organizers are still adding up the numbers, but they suggest the festival might not break even this year.

“It’s been an interesting year,” said Robb Woulfe, the executive director of the festival. “The weather really had a big impact on revenue and attendance at Top of the Park. Some nights it would be perfect out, and it would be going gangbusters. It’s like 24 hours (later), it would be completely different.”

Last Wednesday, torrential rain forced closure of Top of the Park. On four or five other nights, Woulfe said, bands didn’t get to play, played short sets or only the headliner band went on stage because weather shortened the entertainment window.

Singer Dan Mulholland,from the band Kentucky Chrome, performs at the 2008 final Top of the Park on Sunday.

“(But) it was more than just the rain. The cool temperatures also hurt us. The joke was that our coffee sales and clam chowder sales were way up.

“It’s nice to see this closing weekend be so nice. From Thursday on, it’s really cleared up and been perfect,” Woulfe said Sunday.

The preliminary numbers for Top of the Park - not counting this Saturday or Sunday nights - showed the problems. Beverage sales were down 20 percent to 25 percent, while on-site donations to help support the festival were down 30 percent or more, Woulfe said. Food vendors also said sales were down, he said.

“There just weren’t as many great nights as far as the weather,” said Rick Gaus, of Ann Arbor, who regularly attends with his wife. “We like to come almost every night, but there were several nights this year we just didn’t make it out of the house.”

The silver lining to the cold and sometimes rainy weather? The indoor shows at the Power Center sold more than $856,000 worth of tickets, a substantial increase over last year when sales totaled $773,776, Woulfe said. The festival had 18,095 ticket buyers in 2008 versus 14,917 in 2007.

“People seemed to be spending their money on tickets. It’s nice to have that going for us,” he said.

The slump this year came as the Summer Festival also battled a downturn in the area’s economy, which saw advance corporate sponsorships decline 10 percent and individual contributions fall 25 percent.

“Our spirits were not down,” Woulfe said. “I think we’ll be lucky to break even this year. But, as always, we are hoping that if the community enjoyed this year’s events, they will consider making a donation to the festival, which will be particularly appreciated as we look to cover our 2008 operational expenses.”

Organizers will start planning for next year’s event in the next couple of weeks.

David Jesse can be reached at djesse@ annarbornews.com or at 734-994-6937.