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| GER |
12 |
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7 |
35 |
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| USA |
10 |
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34 |
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| NOR |
11 |
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24 |
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6 |
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17 |
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6 |
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4 |
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12 |
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| FRA |
4 |
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2 |
11 |
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| SUI |
3 |
2 |
6 |
11 |
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| NED |
3 |
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0 |
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Ethnic Village scrambling for funds to keep going
Finally enjoying some crowds, organizers need to pay their bills
By Elaine Jarvik
Deseret News staff writer
Salt Lake's Ethnic Village — which literally had the plug pulled earlier this weekend — is finally enjoying crowds after a slim first few days. But its organizers are now scrambling for funding so the village can stay open as planned through the end of the Olympics.
The village, a 33,000-square-foot tent housing 50 vendors and several stages, was without electricity and heat from Friday evening until early Saturday afternoon — when village organizers got word that their credit had been extended until Tuesday and that the power would be turned back on.
Now organizers are appealing to the community to help support the village, located at 200 S. 500 West just south of The Gateway. The group needs between $200,000 and $300,000 to pay its bills, according to Holly Lacy, project coordinator.
The Ethnic Village, the brainchild of a group called NAPAH (Native Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders, African Americans and Hispanics), has had financial problems from its inception. It has not received funding from the Salt Lake Organizing Committee or any major sponsors, despite pleas to 10,000 area businesses and individuals.
"Everyone said, 'We're sorry. The Olympics are here and we're all tapped out,' " Lacy says.
In addition, a plan to serve beer at the site — expected to have added at least $200,000 to Village coffers — was voted down by the Native American members of NAPAH.
"Alcohol almost destroyed our culture," said Iroquois vendor Ruth Maracle. "We lost a lot of money (by declining to sell beer), but we stood up for what we believe in."
A loan that would have paid for the tent and utilities has been delayed because the collateral — beachfront property — is out of state, according to Mark George of Globogear, a clothing and accessory company that is the village's marketing partner.
"We're not slamming anyone," said Lacy, adding that Zions Bank, the tent owners in Baltimore, the heating suppliers and the Boyer Co., which owns the land, have all tried to help the village stay open.
But with the bills still unpaid, the tent owners decided Friday afternoon to pull the plug, just as Salt Lake City Mayor Rocky Anderson showed up to sign a proclamation honoring the village. The mayor has been a vocal supporter of the village, encouraging people to visit. And it was the mayor who convinced tent owners Saturday to give the Ethnic Village a few more days to come up with funding or a loan.
Although village attendance was sparse last week, on Friday night about 750 people showed up to listen to music and to spend money on crafts and food. People partied despite the fact that it was "so cold you could see your own breath," says Lacy. "People want this (village) to happen."
Before the power was restored Saturday afternoon, vendors pulled their wares outside into the sunshine to make the best of a bad situation.
"We're having technical difficulties," vendor Mary Daniels told some passersby with a grin. Later she praised God for the sunshine and vowed that "like the phoenix, we're going to rise."
"I believe in the people — the vendors, the visitors, everybody," added Cal Nez, another village organizer, as he rigged up the lighting for a display booth. The village is much like a Mexican outdoor market, except that it also features American Indian crafts a few paces from Hawaiian leis, feathered jewelry from Michigan and a whole section turned into a jazz club. "There are a lot of people walking around, but very few buying anything," said Janice Hawley, who brought her White Clay Embroidery booth to Salt Lake City from the Fort Belknap reservation near Harlem, Mont., population 2,000. Hawley said she's not sure how long she can stay at the village, "but I hate to quit or give up on something, especially this, being something where all the nationalities are together."
"We're resilient," said Esther Yang, a vendor from New York. Besides, she added, Salt Lake City doesn't want the world to believe Jay Leno's jokes about Utah's lack of diversity, does it? "If you shut (the village) out, we won't be diverse. . . . We want to show the world we're not just steak and potatoes. We're fry bread, buffalo burgers, Navajo tacos.
"We're not just doing this for us, we're doing it for the next generation," she added.
The Ethnic Village is open daily from 10 a.m. to 1 a.m. and is free.
Contributing: Diane Urbani
E-MAIL: jarvik@desnews.com
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February 17, 2002
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