SALEM — Betty Gay wants to get a head start on organizing the town's two-day fall festival this year.
The SalemFest organizer is planning a meeting for organizations that would like to be involved in the fifth annual event, which serves as a kind of old home day for the border town.
"Usually, we start in June," Gay said. "But that's really kind of late."
The group's May 15 meeting will help the leaders of new groups figure out how to organize their programs for the big day.
SalemFest is like a carnival, with crafts fairs, book sales, historical re-enactments and games for children. The programs are all run by different businesses, nonprofit organizations and community groups. Kelley Library hosts a book sale, a local church hosts a crafts fair, and so on.
And while the event has been growing since its inception in 2004, Gay said she worries that new groups will need some extra time to prepare before joining.
"The trick is finding a space that works well for you," she said. "The library has permitted people to put up their tents on the property."
Organizers also need to deal with the nuts and bolts of hosting an event, like making sure insurance coverage is in order, and deciding whether to bring in a tent in case of rain.
"I'm hoping that somebody has access to a couple of large tents, but we can use the little ones (as well)," Gay said.
Last year, rain on the first day dampened the event, which has Gay thinking there should be more tents this time around.
"I felt sorry for a lot of the new groups last year because, instead of two days, they scheduled for Saturday, and that's the day we had the gully washer all morning," she said.
This year, SalemFest will be on Sept. 20 and 21.
SalemFest planning session
What: Meeting to set up the SalemFest event schedule
When: Thursday, May 15, at noon
Where: Kelley Library, downstairs conference room
