Blissfest
Letters of SupportThis is a sampling of letters of support for the Blissfest and the Blissfest Traditional Arts Education Center
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Crooked Tree Arts Center 461 E. Mitchell Petoskey, MI 49770 Emmet County Planning Commission Tuesday, December 19, 2000 Dear Commissioners: I have been asked to write a letter on behalf of the Crooked Tree Arts Center in support of the Blissfest Organization’s Site Plan as prepared for both Readmond Township and Emmet County. I do so without reservation. The Blissfest Organization is an integral part of the arts community of Emmet County, providing the very finest in folk music programming for the people of northern Michigan. Blissfest is among the prime contributors toward achieving one of the expressed goals of the Charlevoix and Emmet County Community Cultural Plan: that is to make Charlevoix and Emmet County a cultural tourism destination. Over the past several years the organization has grown dramatically in the caliber of performing artists it brings to the area and in the numbers of people who are drawn to Emmet County for its concerts. No fewer than ten concerts are booked in the Ross Stoakes Theatre of the Crooked Tree Arts Center each season, generating significant revenue for the Center as well as for the retail businesses of Petoskey and beyond. It is our hope that your Commission will look favorably upon the goals of the site plan and work with the Blissfest Organization in its efforts to achieve its goals as articulated in the Planned Unit Development – Preliminary Plan Narrative of 12/1/00. If there is anything the Crooked Tree Arts Council can do to help further the cause of Blissfest in this regard, please contact me at 347-4337, any time. Yours,Dale Hull Executive Director
Springfed Arts a non-profit organization ttt P.O. Box 304 t Royal Oak, MI 48068-0304Phone 248.589.3913 t Fax 248.589.3913 Email: johndlamb@ameritech.net www.springfed.org Emmet Co. Planning Commission Dear Emmet Co. Planning Commission, I am writing to offer my support for the Blissfest Music Organization’s long-term facilities and use plan for their 120 acre Festival Farm in Readmond Township. As the director of Springfed Arts, a nonprofit organization that produces the Lamb’s Retreat for Songwriters, a four day conference held every fall in Harbor Springs, and the Walloon Writers’ Retreat, held every September at Michigania on Walloon Lake, I have had the great fortune of receiving valuable advice from the Blissfest Music Organization, as well as scholarship donations that allowed artists who were deserving and in need the opportunity to attend our retreats. In particular, I must commend Jim Gillespie and various members of the Blissfest board for their support and guidance during the inception of Springfed Arts retreats, which aim to educate and promote the art and craft of writing prose, poetry or song. In fact, the inspiration for Lamb’s Retreat for Songwriters stems largely from my experience on a songwriter’s workshop panel at Blissfest of 1992. The awareness of traditional and contemporary folk arts, which Blissfest brings to the area, is one of the most valuable cultural offerings in northern Michigan. They are a true institution, worthy of being recognized as a jewel of an asset for all surrounding communities. Through my dealings with Blissfest Music Organization, I have witnessed the careful planning and adjustments to growth in their endeavors. They have made every effort to keep their festival organized, their grounds well kept, and their mission to educate in the traditional arts truly beneficial to all folks, young and old. I have read through their master site plans for the future and the proposed education center. The plans are well thought out and I would encourage the neighboring communities to embrace the ambition and the wherewithal these courageous plans will take to develop. I am confident that the members of the Blissfest committee, who are also members of the community, will undertake all of their new endeavors with utmost care, and that they will not cause undue stress to those who fear their increased activity and growth, but rather ensure that each phase of their proposal is carried out in a way that will benefit the neighboring communities. Very truly yours, 1/8/00 Hello: This letter is a statement in support of the BlissFest Music Organization’s PUD plan, and of the organization in general, which my family and I feel compelled to write. My wife and I have attended and participated in nearly all of the annual BlissFest festivals. My children, ages 11 and 9, have attended every summer of their lives. The BlissFest organization, it’s events, it’s leadership, it’s members, and it’s values are the reason we and our children participate and contribute whenever feasible. I have participated in and attended such traditional arts and crafts and music festivals in various parts of the state and the country, learning, growing, and promoting traditional arts, crafts, music, and the valuable culture and values our traditions represent for over 25 years. I can assure you that the BlissFest is one of the best planned, well organized, safest, family friendly presentations of it’s kind. It is, in fact, THE organization and events that we most cherish, because of the family and ecology friendly consciousness it represents. I highly value the nurturing, teaching, learning environment that BlissFest provides for my children. The BlissFest is in fact the only such event where I feel comfortable in knowing that my children will be treated to a safe, nurturing, highly valued educational experience. I have visited and cherished the natural wonders of Northern Michigan for over 25 years. I respect the land, the culture, the people, and the value of preserving and protecting our environment. I favor continued preservation and protection, and believe the BlissFest Organization’s actions and future plans support appropriate, low-impact preservation and protection. I have read and understand the PUD plan and its relationship of fitting in with The Emmet Co. Master Plan. I know the values of the BlissFest Organization, and know that the organization can and will protect and support the core values your Master Plan represents. BlissFest represents and promotes a spirit of cooperation, respect, and community involvement. I find it disturbing that statements in opposition to the PUD reflect feelings and actions inconsistent with these values. My young children have learned and enjoyed so much in terms of these values that they have even performed as volunteer workers for other events, including the Goodhart Mini-Fair. The fact that they did so on their own volition, even though they acted to support a community which they only "reside in" for a week or two a year, makes me extremely proud of them, and the opportunity BlissFest has provided them in nurturing and developing such lofty ideals. Please accept and consider my statements with the same sincerity and respect with which I present them to you. Sincerely; Readmond Township Board
December 13, 2000 We are writing this letter in support of the proposal submitted to you by the Blissfest Music Organization. We have owned the house and 20 acres at the corner of Hill and Division (across the road from the festival site) for the past 5 years. We hope to make it our permanent residence soon. We have never had any problems with the festival or the visitors that come in. It is true that there is increased traffic and noise for a weekend but it seems to us that the inconvenience is more than offset by the economic boost to area merchants and service providers. We’ve read the Planned Unit Development narrative and believe that the plan does a nice job of addressing potential problems. We like the fact that so much of the property remains undeveloped under this plan. The festival is great entertainment for all ages, much like a county fair. The smaller weekend traditional arts events planned for in phases 2, 3, and 4 sound like a great opportunity to learn new skills. Blissfest Music Organization has been successful in providing family fun and great music for many years to northern Michigan residents. They get better at it all the time. Blissfest Music Organization is a good neighbor and a valuable asset to the county. Tom and Suzanne Williams
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