Lack of Funds Forces Festival Cancellation
Canceling one of its signature events, the Calabasas Chamber of Commerce will not hold the annual Pumpkin Festival this October due to budget constraints.
“We don’t take this cancellation lightly at all,” said Carol Washburn, president of the chamber.
The two-day festival, which features live entertainment, food, arts and crafts, and games for children, has been a community tradition for about 30 years.
Washburn said the businesses that previously sponsored the festival, which costs about $200,000 to organize, were unable to contribute this year what they have in the past. As a result, the chamber’s directors voted unanimously to cancel the event.
“We didn’t want to put on a second-rate show for the people,” Washburn said.
“It doesn’t mean the demise of anything. If we can bring it back bigger and better than ever [next year], great,” she said.
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