We should all know more about the 2017 Fishers Freedom Festival by mid-November at the latest, according to Executive Director Jennifer Kehl.  The city is insisting that the festival move from its long-time location at Holland Park to the Nickel Plate District in downtown Fishers, in the area around City Hall.

Kehl says this will be a big adjustment for the festival, since Holland Park provided 33 acres of space, compared to the 3 acres available in downtown Fishers.  With construction going on around the City Hall area, Kehl is concerned about parking for the vendors, who need parking spaces near their concession areas.

There are also concerns about the number of vendors the smaller space will allow. According to Kehl, there will be less space for vendors, meaning there will be fewer of them, resulting in less vendor revenue for the festival.

Electricity will be an issue with a new venue, with generators needed and electricians may be required to setup the new configuration for vendors and other power needs downtown. The Festival Committee will also need to be careful in erecting tents in the Nickel Plate area, so fiber optic lines are not damaged with stakes in the ground.

The popular Disc Dog competition will not have enough room for the 2017 festival downtown, according to Kehl.  Keeping some events at Holland Park will be difficult because the support system from volunteers would not be available there.

“Unfortunately, some of the decision-makers don’t understand the obstacles that we have to go through, and how demanding our vendors are,” said Kehl.

Kehl is also concerned that lower revenue for the Festival Committee could spell the end of support for the school backpack program and the scholarships offered by the committee in the past.

The Festival Committee and city officials have been working on arrangements for the 2017 event.

“I hope we can come to some kind of agreement and move forward positively,” said Kehl. She added that some agreement between the city and the Fishers Freedom Festival Committee (which is a nonprofit organization with its own board of directors) needs to be in place by mid-November at the latest for the 2017 event.