22 - Wednesday, April 24, 1991 - North Shore News

NEWS photo Cindy Ge 2dman

EXECUTIVE PRODUCER for the Vancouver Children’s Festival, Emie Fiadell is confident the local festival will overcome its current financial woes.

pest “< LIVEN UP - YOUR WEEKENDS!

LIVE JAZZ 'N BLUES JAM SESSION! 4-9 P.M.

Everyone welcome

COUPLES NIGHT Male and Female dancers Saturday nights 8:30 p.m.

MOBS. 6013 ,

700 Lillooet Ad., N.V.

ORE AND more, festivals are becoming an in- tegral part of Vancouver's cultural life.

Of all the ones Ecan think of (won't bother to list them), the Vancouver Children’s Festival (this year, May 13-20) has always struck me as the city’s principal festival. Maybe because it was a first in so many areas.

Other cities had children’s festi- vals too, but Vancouver's was a model of consistency: it became an annual event that happened in the same spot every year, with the exception of 1979 when a civic strike forced it from Vanier Park to Jericho Beach.

It didn’t see itself as merely a way of keeping bored kids busy in the summer — that was obvious in its thoughtful programming. And it didn’t just throw entertain- ment together haphazardly.

“We opened up to the entire world. So many other cities followed us. Now there are children’s festivals all over Canada and the U.S.."' says its founding director and executive Producer.

BODY +; Glove 1S

+ g99

BEACH ps GEAR 1S

149°

‘COKE e. & HOT DOG 4 LOTS OF SURPRIZES!!

Ernie Fladell.

This year the Vancouver Children’s Festival is experiencing another first, but to a kid, it’s more of a scuffed knee than a bright balloon. That's because far the first ime in 14 debt-free years it is facing a $40,000 to $60,000 short- tall.

Fladell, a Brooklyn native who founded the festival in 1978, says it’s due to a number of things, namely the GST, less support from schools who have had their tield trip budgets cut back, and the failure of government tunding to keep up with growing costs.

According to Fladell, the festival hes made substantial cuts in order to survive, eliminating what it considers to be luxury programs and reducing staff. Each of the remaining staff will take a month holiday this year without pay. He is confident that the deficit will be wiped at the end of two years.

The Children’s Festival is, by all

EACH DAZE AT MARK’S

SATURDAY, APRIL 27th

O.P. T’s A ae

AND LOTS, LOTS MORE!

nurses kids’ festival

Evelyn Jacob SPOTLIGHT FEATURE

rights, Fladell’s baby. During the latter part of his term as cultural social planner for the City of Van- couver, Fladell saw the need for a children’s festival, and in 1978 he organized the first one.

That same year he established Vancouver's first Folk Festival in Stanley Park (He also set up the Vancouver Heritage Festival), and turned it over to Gary Christall two years later, but he couldn’t part with the Chiidren’s Festival.

"| hung on to it,” he says,

See Popular page 23

Bring in this ad to receive 10 MARK’S BUCKS OFF ANY $40

PURCHASE OR MORE.

VALID SATURDAY, }

APRIL 27TH ONLY!

ecean view Patio Seating

925-1945

1362 Marine Dr. West Vancouver