Contra Costa Earth Day called off

[Guest guest]

Published Friday, February 1, 2002

 

Contra Costa Earth Day called off

 

 

 

BY SONIA KRISHNAN

 

 

CONTRA COSTA TIMES

 

CONCORD -- Contra Costa Earth Day, the

environmentally conscious festival that has attracted

thousands to the Chronicle Pavilion every April since

1994, will be canceled this year due to lack of

funding.

 

Sponsor cutbacks -- coupled with the pullout of the

festival's main funding source, radio station KKSF

103.7 -- factored into the decision to call off the

event this year, said Michelle Krueger, board member

of Contra Costa Earth Day.

 

" We were very saddened, " Krueger said, adding that

attendance at last year's festival grew to 26,000

people. " But without (the KKSF) sponsorship, we can't

do the same festival that we've always done. It seemed

like the best thing to do was to regroup and go in

next year. "

 

The radio station provided free jazz concerts with

top artists at the Earth Day festival and promoted the

event on air.

 

Officials at Clear Channel Radio, which owns KKSF,

said they still hope to have a free concert in the

East Bay, but can't afford to do it at the Chronicle

Pavilion.

 

" It became cost-prohibitive this year, especially

with this economy, " said Gabrielle Medecki, group

marketing director for Clear Channel. She said it cost

the company $70,000 to put on the show last year,

which featured Boney James as its headliner.

 

" This is a free concert to the public, but it costs

us a whole lot of money, " Medecki said. " We have to

find ways to do it less expensively. "

 

The cost of the festival ranges between $90,000 to

$120,000, Krueger said. At this point, she added,

board members aren't crossing their fingers that

another sponsor will quickly step in.

 

" It takes a lot of effort and time, " she said. " We

usually start planning the festival in September. "

 

The festival is geared toward raising environmental

consciousness and making conservation fun and

accessible. In past years, musical acts brought in by

KKSF performed on different stages and environmentally

friendly games demonstrated tips on how to save

energy.

 

Last year, for instance, participants learned how to

put solar energy panels on their roofs. Heat from the

sun was also used to bake chocolate chip cookies and

run an electric train.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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[Guest guest]

> Contra Costa Earth Day called off

 

That's a shame there's not a festival this year.... There's a little

more info on their website at http://www.ccearthday.org But in

economic times when for-profit companies are struggling, non-profits

are definitely feeling the pinch.

 

Earth Day has always been an excellent opportunity to promote the

veggie & animal rights message. Particularly the CC Earth Day's

format (with all the entertainment and special activities for kids)

was great in attracting " mainstream " folks to the event while

allowing activist & non-profit organizations an opportunity to

present their message to the public.