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Editorial: Can Sea Cav be salvaged?

The decision announced last year by longtime Gibsons Sea Cavalcade organizer Conchita Harding to take a year off from the festival seems to have led to the festival itself taking a year off. Ms.
fireworks
Fireworks over Gibsons Harbour at last year's Sea Cavalcade.

The decision announced last year by longtime Gibsons Sea Cavalcade organizer Conchita Harding to take a year off from the festival seems to have led to the festival itself taking a year off.

Ms. Harding and two other members of the Sunshine Coast Sea Cavalcade Society Board declared this week in a letter on behalf of the board that there would be no festival in 2019. “We were ready to train a new team, but no one volunteered,” they wrote. “We hope that future years will bring a new group of dedicated, skilled volunteers together who will bring their ideas and skills to create more Sea Cavalcade Festivals.”

Responding to the letter in a March 25 email to council, Mayor Bill Beamish acknowledged that “volunteer burnout is a reality and many organizations are being similarly impacted.” But he also asked, “Is there anything that we can do to encourage and support the continuance of Sea Cavalcade or is it up to a new group of volunteers to make it happen? What are our options to keep it going in its present form or in a different format?”

The item will be on the agenda at the April 2 Gibsons council meeting.

We agree with Mayor Beamish that all options have to be looked at, as the festival incorporates a number of activities that could be held separately or as part of a single but smaller event, from the Keats to Armours Mile Swim to the Town-sponsored and immensely popular fireworks display. These events are cherished aspects of summer in Gibsons. Even without a full-blown festival, some kind of salvage operation should be doable.