Due to the budget impasse an Eastern Illinois University tradition will be closing its doors this spring after 39 years.
Celebration: The Festival of the Arts has been an EIU tradition since 1977. The festival began when the former Dean of the College of Fine Arts Vaughn Jaenike started the festival to bring the university and community together to celebrate the arts in our life.
The festival includes different vendors who bring their style of art from all over the Midwest. Some play live music from classical all the way to rock. Along with blue grass, jazz and other types of music.
They also share different kinds of art from paintings, photography, glass art and actives for children.
Another thing that draws people to the festival is the different types of food, from barbeque to funnel cakes.
The man behind the celebration is Doudna’s special projects coordinator Dan Crews. He has been in charge of planning the festival since 1989.
“I look at Celebration as a big puzzle,” He said. “And putting it together every year and it’s basically throwing a party for ten thousand people.”
Crews was one of the Eastern employees who received a layoff notice. He said it was a difficult decision pulling the plug this year for the festival but it was something that had to be done.
When planning Celebration it takes more than just one person planning to get everything done. You have to hire plumbers and carpenters, along with finding volunteers and numerous of other things. This also doesn’t help when other helpers were laid off as well. It created a domino effect. He felt as if canceling Celebration was the best decision.
“Politics is the fine art of negotiation,” Crews said. “And we don’t have people doing that.” He is hopeful that Illinois Lawmakers will come together to decide a budget so events like Celebration can happen again.
An Eastern music instructor has been attending Celebration since the early 1980s with his family every year. Joel Faires performed for the first time at Celebration when he was only in high school for his show choir.
By the time he was in undergrad at EIU he played at the festival with the universities jazz band and combos along with some garage bands he was in.
Since 2002 he has played in Celebration with different groups each year. Faires played with various groups such as Mhondoro Rhythm Success, Big Grove Zydeco, Resonation Station and Butchers Legs.
“I am extremely disappointed,” Faires said. “Not only have good people at EIU lost their jobs, but local artists, musicians and food vendors are now losing out on what is an important festival for many of them.”
He is hoping that things will come together for the 40th anniversary next spring so everyone can celebrate the importance of the arts in our community. The variety of music, the delicious foods, the unique art and the interesting people you meet is Faires favorite part of the festival.
Even though Celebration is canceled this year they are planning for the 40th Anniversary in April 2017.
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