Originally scheduled for Oct. 7-9 at Cherokee Farms in LaFayette, the event was to be a benefit for hurricane relief.
According to Margaret Pitcher of High Sierra Music, the California-based organizers, lackluster ticket sales and the ripple effects of Hurricane Katrina have left them with little choice but to cancel.
“In our fifteen years of presenting music festivals, High Sierra Music has never cancelled an event,” Pitcher said. “This was an extremely difficult decision for us.”
Pitcher said HarvestFest ticket-holders who purchased tickets with a credit card will be refunded automatically, while those who purchased with a check or money order will soon be contacted by High Sierra Music for their refunds.
She said those who purchased festival tickets through outlets should return them directly to the outlet for a refund.
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Festival promoter Thomas “T-Dawg” Helland said low attendance last year caused by gloomy forecasts of Hurricane Ivan hurt the festival.
“We had everything ready for there to be 5,000 people, and I think there would have been if the hurricane hadn’t ravaged our whole region,” Helland said.
Pitcher agreed. “It was our hope that HarvestFest could recover after being hurt by last year's hurricane,” she said.
Cherokee Farms owner Smokey Caldwell said the cancellation is regrettable.
“I enjoy the festival as much as anyone, and it’s hard when things don’t come together,” he said.
Pitcher said, “We’ve enjoyed a such great partnership with T-Dawg and Smokey since we started working with HarvestFest. It’s disappointing for all of us, but we love the area, we love Cherokee Farms, and we’re still hopeful of having events in the future.”
Pitcher said High Sierra Foundation will continue to raise money for its Katrina Fund, which will supply direct aid to New Orleans and Gulf Coast musicians affected by the storm
Donations are being accepted at the highsierramusic.com and harvestfest.com websites
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