Festivals group gets new board

RITZVILLE - At the city's Main Street parade this year, band teacher Jennifer York discovered a troubling fact: The float representing the Ritzville Festivals Association was taking a farewell lap due to a lack of volunteers.

So a few weeks ago, York and her friends accepted the challenge.

"We met with the previous board and discussed transferring responsibilities to the new group," she said. "They voted us in as the new board."

Josh Riedt will be the president/treasurer.

York will function as secretary and Cory Bartlett - proprietor of the local Gigamedics business - is vice president. Debbie Balfe, the organization's previous secretary/treasurer, agreed to stay on for a year as director.

The Festival Association's five current remaining board members - John and Janis Marshall, Chris and Vicky Johnson, and Debi Balfe - made the decision to dissolve the organization last May.

"We're old," Balfe said, referring to herself and fellow board members.

Without an influx of new and younger volunteers, they reasoned, the organization could not survive.

The association's fate seemed sealed.

But as The Journal reported last spring, "There may still be time for a new group of volunteers to step forward and take over."

The association was founded as a tax-exempt nonprofit in 1977. For decades, the association sponsored the community float, which appeared in nearly 20 regional parades each year. The group staffed the float's "Ritzville Royalty" from participants in the Washington Junior Miss program (renamed Distinguished Young Women in 2010).

The group's main fundraisers included an annual penny auction and Christmas tree sale. The association also received limited funds from the City budget.

"We'll continue to work with the Miss Lind-Ritzville (formerly the Distinguished Young Women/Junior Miss) team," York said. That group recently met with the new board to discuss reconnecting the organizations.

York is anticipating a winter fundraiser for the revived organization.

"Quinterfest" (formerly known as the penny auction) is scheduled to coincide with other chamber of commerce events Saturday, Dec. 17. It will include a silent auction, raffle, door prizes and food.

("Quint" refers to a fifth of a dollar, an apparent recognition of inflation's impact on the "penny" auction.)

"We're also thinking about expanding our outreach via a cornhole tournament and other activities," York said. "We want to be more visible and provide community service opportunities for kids in our schools."

For the past few years, she noted that the Miss Lind-Ritzville program has struggled, in part because of COVID shutdowns and declining interest among potential contestants.

"With a change of hands at the organizational level, we hope to see more buy-in from kids," York said. The group will host meet-and-greet events at local schools to promote the program, and will expand the "at-large" feature to encourage students from outlying communities to participate.

York sees an exciting future for the revived organization.

"We want to build on past traditions and move the organization forward," she said.