Paul.

Save Our Necks is all about keeping the Festival alive. Sorry (nay, embarassed) if we didn't make that clear.

Costs - all of them, not just rental - do keep climbing. Some folks will remember that we used to routinely have cajun bands that we no longer have. It's all about the cost of flying a band from Louisiana. If we can't get some special underwriting (as occasionally we have), we just can't swing it.

We want to keep the festival as affordable as we can, and know full well it's a stretch for many already. But we also know that some of us can help a bit more. That's how we came up with SON.

We DO NOT want to guilt trip people who can't afford it into digging deeper than they should. Anyone who has ever fundraised for an event like this knows that it's really easy for someone to get so emotionally involved that he/she overcommits. I've certainly done it. I've seen people really hurt themselves doing it.

At the same time, yes, we need all the help we can get, and we can't afford to be shy about asking for it.

So we raffle, we have sponsors, we apply for grants, we ask member items from legislators. When I MC Friday and say "Please support or advertisers," I am bloody well not babbling boilerplate. Support 'em, and tell 'em where you heard about 'em. Please! It helps.

And we ask ourselves, and others who can, to donate over and above the ticket price...way over, if you've got it.

That's what Save Our Necks is.

Sorry if I ran on. We do get passionate about this thing we love.

And the mosquitos are still free!!

Not our fault. We do try to get 'em to pay.

- George