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Volunteer warns council it learned informally Summerfest funding may be cut
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Summary
Laurie Mullen, a long‑time Summerfest volunteer, urged the Fergus Falls City Council to address a lack of communication after she says organizers were told informally the festival might not receive city funding this year.
Laurie Mullen, a Summerfest volunteer and downtown events organizer, urged the Fergus Falls City Council at its April 20 open forum to address what she described as inadequate communication after learning informally that city funding for the festival might not be available.
"How dare you treat your volunteers like that? Shame on you," Mullen said, describing a pattern in which Summerfest organizers learned through informal channels that the levy or funding committee might not include the event in this year’s budget. She told the council Summerfest has partnered with the city for 50 years and that she has served on the committee for 27 years.
Mullen said the group typically books fireworks in November and has historically received $3,500 from the city. With six weeks to the event, she said organizers now face a last‑minute need to raise about $4,000 and asked the council to address the situation.
Mayor Anthony Hicks acknowledged the comment and later in the meeting a council member asked the mayor to confirm there would be communication with Summerfest organizers; the mayor said the city will follow up on fireworks planning.
The remarks came during the meeting’s open forum; council action on the matter was not recorded at the April 20 meeting.
