Folk on the Rocks needs $300K to rebuild main stage by festival time, organizer says

It's going to cost Folk on the Rocks close to $300,000 to rebuild its main stage in time for this year's festival.

The festival's executive producer said the old stage was deemed "unusable" after its structure was assessed last summer.

"To make sure we have a stage for this year, we've had to tear it down," said Carly McFadden.

The biggest problems with the stage are its foundation and roof, according to McFadden.

"Basically it's had to be completely stripped down with new foundation and structural support being put in that will hopefully last a very, very long time," she said.

The stage has already been torn down. Currently the roof is all that's left, and McFadden said it will likely stay up until after the festival while they focus on rebuilding the stage.

"The stage absolutely needs to be rebuilt before the festival, and we're on a tight timeline, but things are on track," McFadden said.

Could affect 40th anniversary

The main stage is expected to be finished before Folk on the Rocks in July.

So far, the festival has received $200,000 in "emergency funding" from the City of Yellowknife for the stage, though it has to pay back half of that in the next five years.

The festival has also been given grants from the territory's Department of Industry, Tourism and Investment, and has raised additional funds themselves.

Despite this, McFadden said that ideally, Folk on the Rocks needs another $150,000 to finish the stage. That would cover any unexpected construction costs, and help pay back the city more quickly.

If the money isn't raised, McFadden stressed the show will go on; but it might affect "fun projects" planned for the festival's 40th anniversary next year.

"Maybe we just have slightly smaller projects next year," she said.

Folk on the Rocks runs July 12 to 14.