Facing a volunteer shortage, End of the Road Music Festival postponed until summer

The End of the Road Music Festival in Inuvik, N.W.T.,is taking a detour.

The three-day festival was originally set to startMarch 8, but since there aren'tenough volunteers signed up, organizers are postponing it untilthesummer.

"The main reasoning even from the start was to get local and regional entertainers more involved in the large stage interacting with professional musicians from the south. And it seemed to work really well," says Don Craik, the treasurer of the End of the Road Music Festival Society.

But this year, the festivalhit a few bumps. Nearly half of the society's board moved out of townand that's leftthe remaining board members scrambling, Craik said.

"I have mixed feelings about not having one this year," he said."I've been involved with it since day one and I kinda feel like it's my fault in a way. But you can't just pull it off when you don't have the help out there."

Craik isn't giving upthough.

He plans to postpone the festival until the summer, which is when the festival used to be held.

The town of Inuvik will be celebrating its 60thanniversary this summer, and organizers hope to have the festival aroundthe same time.

Miki O'Kane, whovolunteers with the festival, says she noticed the lack of volunteers at a meeting aroundChristmas.

O'Kane says it would be ideal to have about eight to 10 volunteers as part of the organizing committee to help split up the work.

If you would like to help out with festival, contact Craik at: Don_Craik@yahoo.ca.

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