It’s July. It’s hot. How about some ice?

Okay, how about a mountain of it?

“Snow Mountain,” a heap of ice donated by American Ice, will be part of the fun Sunday at Save Mayfest, a mid-summer concert benefiting Mayfest, Fort Worth’s annual spring festival. Save Mayfest will be held from noon to 10:30 p.m. Sunday at LaGrave Field, Fort Worth.

Mayfest, held annually along the banks of the Trinity River in Fort Worth, was canceled this past spring because of the threat of a swine flu outbreak. The 11th-hour cancellation left the organizers holding the bag with debts large enough to threaten the 37-year-old festival’s future.

So Save Mayfest, with entertainment ranging from Motown to country, is an attempt to salvage what has become a North Texas tradition. Scheduled to perform at Sunday’s concert are Reckless Kelly, Micky and Motorcars, Crossroads, 281 South and Clay Jarvis Band. In addition, Miss Fort Worth, Faith Bates, will pose for photographs from 1 to 4 p.m.

Tickets will be $20 for adults and $10 for children 6 to 12 years of age. Children under 5 will be admitted free. Open seating will be available, but attendees also may bring blankets and lawn chairs. Parking will cost $5. Gates will open at 11:30 a.m.

Donations to SAVE MAYFEST can be mailed to Mayfest, Inc., 255 Bailey Ave., Fort Worth 76107 or made online at www.mayfest.org. Donations are tax-deductible because Mayfest, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 organization.

Fort Worth’s oldest family festival, Mayfest is organized by Mayfest, Inc. and annually draws more than 200,000 people. The four-day festival was canceled just three hours before it was scheduled to open April 30th in an effort to prevent an epidemic of swine flu. For more information, check www.mayfest.org.

This photo from 2008 shows what Mayfest could have been if not canceled this year because of the threat of an outbreak of swine flu.

The masses have spoken, and they say, “Save Mayfest.”

The spring festival, held annually along the banks of the Trinity River in Fort Worth, was canceled this year because of the threat of a swine flu outbreak. The 11th-hour cancellation left the organizers holding the bag with debts large enough to threaten the 37-year-old festival’s future.

One idea for rescuing Mayfest came from an email written by Kelly Reeves, a longtime supporter of the festival. As a result, Mayfest, Inc. is searching for 1,000 people to donate $100 each in 100 days.

Reeves’ email reads, “If just 1000 people donated $100.000 we can HELP SAVE MAYFEST. I know if we had been at Mayfest this year I would have easily spent that money on bounce houses, knick knacks, great food.”

Donations to SAVE MAYFEST can be mailed to Mayfest, Inc., 255 Bailey Ave., Fort Worth 76107 or made online at www.mayfest.org. Donations are tax-deductible because Mayfest, Inc. is a 501 (c) 3 organization.

In another fundrasing effort, a benefit concert, also named SAVE MAYFEST, has been announced for noon to 10:30 p.m. July 12 at LaGrave Field, Fort Worth. Scheduled to perform are Reckless Kelly, Micky and Motorcars, Crossroads, 281 South and Clay Jarvis Band.

Tickets will be $20 for adults and $10 for children 6 to 12 years of age. Children under 5 will be admitted free. Open seating will be available, but attendees also may bring blankets and lawn chairs. Parking will cost $5.

Fort Worth’s oldest family festival, Mayfest is organized by Mayfest, Inc. and annually draws more than 200,000 people. The four-day festival was canceled just three hours before it was scheduled to open April 30th in an effort to prevent an epidemic of swine flu.  For more information, check www.mayfest.org.

Mayfest, a 36-year-tradition, was canceled this year because of the threat (?) of swine flu.

What a shame Mayfest was canceled last week.

It was to be the 37th year, for the outdoor festival which attracts artists, food vendors and musicians to Trinity Park’s 33 acres, near downtown Fort Worth. Typically, the family event draws more than 200,000 visitors during its four days.

But abruptly, it was shut down.
“At the direction of the Fort Worth Parks and Community Services Department and Tarrant County Public Health Department, Mayfest, Inc. canceled the 37th annual Mayfest,” said the statement issued by Carrie Cappel, a member of the Mayfest Media team. “Mayfest is Fort Worth’s oldest family festival and is primarily driven by 1200 volunteers each year. Mayfest and its vendors stand to lose approximately $500,000.00 in expenses to date.”

Ouch.

Once upon a time, I was a very active Junior Leaguer, and Mayfest is a Junior League focal point. I was always marginally involved with Mayfest, though, because it just wasn’t my cup of tea. But over the years, I realized how much Mayfest meant to the city of Fort Worth. I realized, very slowly I admit, that this festival was very much a labor of love with Junior League members giving thousands of hours of their time to pull off an event of this magnitude. The profit it turned was miniscule compared to the time involved, but that wasn’t the point.
It truly was a huge gift to the community.

And all this work was thrown out last week when the decision was made to cancel the festival for swine flu, also called H1N1 flu. As of May 6, the Centers for Disease Control reported on its Web site (www.cdc.gov)  that the entire state of Texas has claimed 61 confirmed cases of this flu and two deaths from this outbreak.

Does that seem a tad bit overblown?

I know, I know. We’ll never know what those numbers would have been if they’d held Mayfest. But it’s an outdoor event, not a jet where you’re strapped in next to some coughing, wheezing strangers for hours. Last week, I might have been right there with Vice President Joe Biden and told my family not to fly. But outside…in the fresh air…different story.

The community festival was founded in 1973 by the Tarrant Regional Water District; Streams and Valleys, Inc; Fort Worth Parks and Community Services Department and The Junior League of Fort Worth, Inc. Counting on some 3,000 volunteers who log more than 12,000 hours, the event serves as a signature spring event in Fort Worth.

p>For this year’s festival, several special events were scheduled including a special needs day, a 10k and 5k run, a military day and some high-dollar entertainment acts. Reckless Kelly was to take the stage Friday, and Starship starring Mickey Thomas was to perform Saturday.

And now organizers are left holding the financial bag. The losses are so large that reports last week claimed Mayfest may not re-appear in 2010.

Now some of the very musicians who were to perform are coming to the rescue by organizing a fundraiser to fix this mess. Details aren’t confirmed yet, but check out www.musicians4mayfest.cowntownweb.com. I’ve got the feeling we haven’t written the end of this saga…stay tuned.

The 37th annual Mayfest will begin Thursday and continue through Sunday at Trinity Park in Fort Worth.

The family festival Mayfest opens its gates to those looking for art, music, food and fun Thursday and continues through Sunday along the banks of the Trinity River in Fort Worth.

For the 37th year, Mayfest will attract artists, food vendors and musicians to Trinity Park’s 33 acres along the river near downtown Fort Worth. The outdoor typically draws more than 200,000 visitors during its four days.

Several special events also are scheduled during the festival, including Thursday’s Senior Citizens Day, with free admission to seniors, and Friday’s Special Needs Day, with free admission to more than 1,000 mentally and physically challenged children. Registration will begin at 6 a.m. Saturday for the Mayfest Run, a 10k, 5k and 1-mile fun run, and Sunday’s Military Day will offer free entrance to active and retired military personnel.

Featured entertainment booked this year will include Reckless Kelly performing at 8:15 p.m. Friday on the Mayfest Main Stage and Starship starring Mickey Thomas entertaining at 8:15 p.m. Saturday on the Main Stage. More than 50 food and beverage booths are planned, and special areas will feature games, teen activities, an art market and non-profit booths.

Tickets cost $8 for adults, $5 for children 6 to 12 years old and children 5 and under are admitted free. Parking is available at Farrington Field for $5 per car, or attendees may part at Texas Christian University and ride a free shuttle to the festival site.

Hours of operation are 3:30 to 10 p.m. Thursday and Friday, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Sunday.

The community festival was founded in 1973 by the Tarrant Regional Water District; Streams and Valleys, Inc; Fort Worth Parks and Community Services Departmen and The Junior League of Fort Worth, Inc. Counting on some 3,000 volunteers who log more than 12,000 hours, the event serves as a signature spring event in Fort Worth.

More than $5.8 million has been raised during its 37 years, and profits are distributed to the founding organizations.