By Gillian Graham

Staff Writer

The future of La Kermesse is in limbo as organizers search for a new location for the annual Franco-American heritage festival.

City officials told festival organizers they cannot use St. Louis Field because La Kermesse owes the city more than $25,000 for damages caused by last year’s festival. La Kermesse Franco-Americaine Treasurer Paul Gagne said organizers are not sure whether the festival will take place in June as originally planned, but a decision is needed  soon so entertainment and vendors can be lined up.

“We’re in limbo right now,” he said. “We’re just about at the breaking point of yes or no.”

In a letter to La Kermesse Vice President Raymond Gagne dated March 22, City Attorney Keith Jacques said the festival’s agreement with the city requires organizers to pay for any damages to city facilities.

The festival owes the city $25,065 for repairs to St. Louis Field, which he said was “substantially damaged” during the 2009 festival. The letter asked La Kermesse to reimburse the city within 14 days.

Jacques said the outstanding bill does not include the city’s time and expense involved with the repairs. The field was unusable beginning June 14 and will not be available for use until this spring.

“While the city recognizes that the 2009 damage to the field was more extensive than in prior years, even in past years when the field suffered less damage, use of the playing field was interrupted for at least four to six weeks,” Jacques wrote.

Jacques said the city supports the festival, but “the extensive damage to the field and the resulting extended displacement of programs demonstrate the need to relocate the festival to a new venue that better serves the needs of the festival and the Biddeford community.”

City officials are willing to work with organizers to find a new location, but “based upon past damage to the field and La Kermesse’s indication that it does not have the financial ability to reimburse the city for the cost of repair, the festival can no longer be held on St. Louis Field,” Jacques wrote.

Mayor Joanne Twomey said she met with La Kermesse organizers for an ”emotional” hour last week to discuss the festival. She said she offered to ask local businesses for donations to support moving at least some of the festival downtown.

Twomey said an informal poll of city councilors indicated they were concerned about the field being used for the festival.

“I did tell (La Kermesse organizers) they couldn’t use the field because it’s the wishes of the council,” she said. “It’s definite they cannot use the field, but that’s not to say they can’t have a festival.”

The city has spent more than half a million dollars to support the festival during its 27-year history, including support from the fire and police departments, Twomey said. People “love the festival” but it is not making money and organizers may need to “think outside the box” to keep it going, she said.

“I’ve always been a lover of the festival. I’ve gone every single year,” Twomey said. “It’s just not the same as it used to be.”

Gagne, the La Kermesse treasurer, said members plan to meet with city officials again this week to discuss the festival’s future. He said the city seems to want the festival downtown, which would result in a shorter festival with less entertainment.

“It would be a much, much smaller festival,” he said. “There’s no way we could find a place downtown to put up a tent.”

La Kermesse installed an electrical system under St. Louis Field several years ago to provide power to vendors and tents, Gagne said. There is no other location in the city that is equipped to provide that kind of power for carnival rides and food vendors, he said.

“Technically, I don’t see any other possibilities,” he said.

Even before city officials said St. Louis Field could not be used, La Kermesse organizers were thinking about how to “slim down” the festival. Ideas included cutting back on entertainment. The organization’s financial situation contributed to plans to scale back, he said.

In addition to the money owed to the city, La Kermesse owes about $15,000 to outside vendors for last year’s festival, Gagne said. There were fewer sponsors for the festival last year and a carnival ride vendor left without paying $14,000 to the festival, he said.

Gagne said the organization also has been hampered this year because they have not been able to sell advance admission buttons. Sales usually start in December and that money is used for up-front operation costs. Currently, the festival has no operating cash to start with and has been planning fundraisers, he said.

La Kermesse held a casino night fundraiser in February and will host a Maple Sugar Festival April 16 and 17 at the Biddeford Ice Arena. The event includes musical performances and a traditional sugar shack meal.

As he focuses on raising money and getting answers from city officials, Gagne said he is hopeful the festival will continue.

“I think it would be a great loss,” he said. “When you go to the field and look around, it’s like a big reunion.”

Public Works Director Guy Casavant said field damage included deep ruts from truck wheels and torn up turf and grass. Heavy rain before and during the festival contributed to the damage. The field is damaged to some extent every year and is usually worse when the weather is rainy, he said. 

“It essentially turned into a mud bowl,” Casavant said. “This past year was the worst we’ve ever seen.

St. Louis Field, which includes two baseball fields and a long, grassy section, is used for baseball, soccer and lacrosse, said Recreation Department Director Carl Walsh. La Kermesse is held there each June and the field is usually ready to be used again by mid-August when high school soccer teams begin to practice, he said.

Because of last year’s damage, 16 fall sports teams were directly affected by the field’s closure, including Biddeford High School soccer and recreation soccer programs, Walsh said. A number of other teams also were indirectly affected because groups were bumped or field times reduced in other location to accommodate all users, he said.

Walsh said teams were moved to other fields across the city.

“Everyone pulled together to figure out how to use the green space we have,” he said. “It was a challenge.”

Staff Writer Gillian Graham can be reached at 282-4337, ext. 213.