Pissed off about Bele Chere staffing

6 Comments

1. 

   eemilla August 8, 2009

   Bud and US Cellular were big out of town sponsors. To the organizers’ credit, it was nice to see the music be completely free. I would like to see Bele Chere moved to early in the year rather than smack in the middle of tourist season when tourists are already downtown and spending money. I also want to see more use of shuttles to try and reduce the private passenger traffic as well as local beers in more than a few stands.

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2. 

   James August 6, 2009

   Bele Chere was showing promise a couple years ago– but personally my disappointment with the way the festival is run grows by the year. There doesn’t seem to be any originality to the event anymore– it’s just a once-a-year ritual we oblige ourselves to attend.

   Does anyone know if Bele Chere receives any sponsorship funding from local/non-local businesses or corporations?

   It seems that if the festival could get some good backing from a few noteworthy companies, they’d have a little more flexibility to hire locals, bring in quality musicians, etc. If you have a successful enough event, everyone wants to be a part of it. The city, the residents, the talent, and most importantly the sponsors. Your festival gets better and better by the year.

   Is it just me, or is anybody else growing weary of reading the music bill release every year, only to find out once again that David Holt and the Lightning Bolts are going to be performing Saturday night, 7.00, at the Kiss Country Stage on Biltmore Ave?

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3. 

   Cecil Bothwell August 6, 2009

   Pretty lame that our big hoopla local festival can’t hire local employees. This is the kind of work that my proposal for inclusion of "local" in city contracts would address. The City Council should demand that our General Assembly delegation obtain permission for inclusion of local as a factor in contract bids. (In NC, a city cannot do this on its own.)

   I note that the federal stimulus money includes a provision that we can pay up to 10 percent more to American contractors and suppliers. It seems completely logical to me that a municipality would be allowed to pay more to local contractors (that is to say, to provide an affirmative action plan as part of the bid process. local dollars fuel the local economy and are worth more to the city than money that flows to other places).

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4. 

   realityczech August 6, 2009

   I understand and agree with what everyone is saying about local, local, local and I believe the spirit of that concept is good. We would all like to see even temporary jobs for residents who need them and more money staying in Asheville.

   But here, unfortunately, is how it works.

   Large scale events, like Bele Chere, need to be well organized – top to bottom – by an experienced planner. That includes closing-off streets, setting-up stages, deciding where vendors will be located, positioning other venues, providing trained security beyond city police (there are obviously not enough cops to go around at BC, where alcohol is served, in a city that also needs law enforcement in other locations), toilet facilities, etc. That’s the short version of a very long list.

   So what do you need? An event planning operation with the knowledge, skills, equipment and personnel to make it happen correctly. Without that, we might want to rename our annual street party Bele Chaos.

   But here is an idea. Someone in Asheville starts a business that fits those organizational requirements – a company which would not only serve this community during Bele Chere – but also bid on and compete for events away from home year-round. The owner pays taxes here, mostly by making money in other locations. The proverbial win-win.

   Not a simple solution, but one that could work. Good luck to any local entrepreneur who wants to give it a try.

   realityczech

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5. 

   Jason Tomasin August 6, 2009

   The fencing could be ordered from any of a hundred websites. You could even get it from China if you had 15 days notice.. There is no reason AVL couldnt provide it themselves (ITS NOT LIKE THERE WILL NOT BE A BELE CHERE NEXT YEAR). And all of the staffing should have been done with strictly locals. So when visitors to our fine town had questions and they asked people ( who happened to be wearing STAFF shirts ) about directions or local businesses, they would get more than a shrug.

   Wake up Asheville. You have unemployed people looking for work. And if you don’t want your homeless problem getting worse you should probably employ local.

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6. 

   Asheville Dweller August 6, 2009

   Its not just that, all the money that comes in from that lousy street blocker leaves town. either through tourists, motels, or venders. Like Asheville gets a large sum, but yes Our tax dollars support it.

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