Mumfest organizers look back at festival's early days

It won’t be long now: New Bern’s Mumfest, which started 34 years ago as a small street festival and is now the city’s premier event, will be here Oct. 11-12.

Susan Moffat-Thomas, executive director of Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corp., who is marking her 29th Mumfest, said the festival has grown so much it touches many people year-round.

“There are so many people who participate and benefit,” Moffat-Thomas said. “The economic impact is tremendous with hotels, restaurants and stores. But I think a lot of people don’t realize there are a lot of people who come from outside New Bern and spend their time here and on gas and food. There are many dollars spent here.”

There are also nonprofits, such as the New Bern Lions Club, that sell carbonated drinks to raise funds for its blindness program, she said.

An economic study done on Mumfest in 2002 found that 55,000 people attended and the economic impact was $2.5 million, Moffat-Thomas said.

“We know the crowd has doubled since then,” she said. “This is good for our community in many ways. It is a grand community effort, and I think everyone is very proud of it.”

Mumfest grew initially from a strategic event to draw people downtown when it was being revitalized in the 1980s, Moffat-Thomas said.

It won’t be long now: New Bern’s Mumfest, which started 34 years ago as a small street festival and is now the city’s premier event, will be here Oct. 11-12.

Susan Moffat-Thomas, executive director of Swiss Bear Downtown Development Corp., who is marking her 29th Mumfest, said the festival has grown so much it touches many people year-round.

“There are so many people who participate and benefit,” Moffat-Thomas said. “The economic impact is tremendous with hotels, restaurants and stores. But I think a lot of people don’t realize there are a lot of people who come from outside New Bern and spend their time here and on gas and food. There are many dollars spent here.”

There are also nonprofits, such as the New Bern Lions Club, that sell carbonated drinks to raise funds for its blindness program, she said.

An economic study done on Mumfest in 2002 found that 55,000 people attended and the economic impact was $2.5 million, Moffat-Thomas said.

“We know the crowd has doubled since then,” she said. “This is good for our community in many ways. It is a grand community effort, and I think everyone is very proud of it.”

Mumfest grew initially from a strategic event to draw people downtown when it was being revitalized in the 1980s, Moffat-Thomas said.

“By partnering with the city, it allow us to really grow,” she said. “Then we began recruiting sponsors. We partnered with all the media to really market the festival because tourism was such an important part of the revitalization project. We wanted to market the festival so people would come in and stay overnight and enjoy the city.”

As the Bicentennial Park was developed and the revitalization of downtown started filling the empty buildings, venues for the festival were getting restricted.

“The density of the crowds was becoming too much,” Moffat-Thomas said. “We were beginning to worry about the safety of the people.”

But after the new drawbridge was completed, Swiss Bear was able to work with the Department of Transportation and get East Front Street and two blocks of Pollock Street closed, linking the Board Street area with Union Point Park for the two-day festival, Moffat-Thomas said.

“There have been a lot of partnerships and organizations helping us; the city and nonprofits,” she said. “We’ve grown from a little festival of maybe 10,000 in the 1980s to probably more than 100,000. I’m very proud of that. We have received many awards over the years. We have worked hard and we are going to make darn sure we live up to our reputation and quality.”

Some of this year’s newer attractions that promise “Something for Everyone” will include: Signora Bella, the Great Italian Equilibrist; a longer water taxi from Lawson Creek Park to Union Point park (small fee); a pirate Skallywag School; and the late Dale Earnhardt’s No. 3 GM Goodwrench Service Plus Chevrolet Monte Carlo and two other races care from Richard Childress Racing for NASCAR fans; and many other staples of the festival.

This year there will be 23 venues at Mumfest and a lot of entertainment for young people, Moffat-Thomas said.

MUMFEST 2012 Is Here!



Setting up Indy Tour in early morning hours



Locating the necessities



Michael's Amusements...ready for festival goers

It’s hard to believe, MUMFEST is just hours away. The city is busy overseeing the set-up of the Indy Racing Tour, portable restrooms and the rest of the items on their “To Do” list. Bud Van Slyke, an outstanding volunteer who has overseen the Boat Show and Union Point Park for the past 10 years, has been at the park for most of the week and will be there all day today orchestrating the set-up of the boats, vendors, pool assembly. The hustle and bustle is growing in intensity with the goal of having everything ready for Saturday morning at 9:30 am when the party begins!

If it seems in the past month or so, the daily posts have been focused primarily on MUMFEST, it’s true. In the two or three months prior to the festival, our time is consumed with taking care of the many chores that are required to prevent utter chaos.  It is labor intensive, but well-worth the effort when vendors begin arriving, know  where to set-up, know the rules and things go smoothly.

Vendors begin arriving on Friday and setting up after 6 p.m. Many chose to set-up Friday evening and many also arrive early Saturday morning. The same is true for the attractions and vendors.

Once the confusion of  set up is over, the fun begins with two days of numerous venues, savory foods, hundreds of vendors with a myriad of products.

Danielle and I appreciate all the support the community extends to this event and our biggest wish is that everyone will have a grand time.

See you at MUMFEST!

Susan Moffat Thomas

Executive Director

Media Support...Helping MUMFEST Grow

In the early 1990’s, I invited representatives from various radio and TV stations to a breakfast meeting. The purpose was to ask for their support in promoting Mumfest. Up to that point our primary way of marketing the festival was very grass roots…through posters, public service announcements and word of mouth. The festival began as a small two block affair in 1980 and had continued to expand through vendor fees from vendors, in-kind services, or contributions. Initially we didn’t have the numbers to attract sponsors that we needed to generate the funds to book the entertainment and attractions as we do now.

By the early 1990’s, with the City’s help, we had expanded taking in three blocks of Middle Street, two of Pollock and two of South Front Street with vendors, entertainment and attractions. The growth of the festival and its focus on “something for everyone” was gaining area recognition. The timing seemed right to take the festival to the next level but we needed the media’s support to attract the number of festival-goers that would insure the return of vendors and sponsor opportunities.

At the breakfast,  I presented plans for the festival that year and related how important the media’s support was to grow the festival. I expressed thanks and gratitude for the support they had extended with public service announcements but now needed their support as partners/sponsors who would promote the festival with scheduled commercials.

To my delight, the meeting was a success.

Since that time, the Beasley Broadcasting Group, Inc., (99.5 the X, 101.9KISS FM, 106.5 WSFL, 107.9 WNCT, Soft Rock V103.3), ESPN New Bern 105.7 FM, 1490 AM and Radio Free ENC 1450 AM, Inner Banks Media (Thunder Country 96.3, 94.1 WNBU Talk of the Town, and Next Media (Bob 93.3 WERO, WRNS Your Country 95.1), the Bear 97.9, TV 12 and Fox News have been Mumfest sponsors.

Their support and sponsorships have been invaluable, is greatly appreciated and Mumfest is all the better for it.  

Susan Moffat Thomas

Executive Director

MUMFEST ... a bit of history!

In 1980, as one of the strategies to attract people downtown, Swiss organized and held many activities and events in the downtown area including antique car shows, 4^th of July festivities, reenactments, Easter Egg Hunts, Flag Day Ceremonies and  the Swiss Bear Festival. The Swiss Bear Festival was held on several blocks of Middle Street. Vacant buildings (Belk and Kress) were used for some of the activities such as elementary school art work displays, quilt displays etc. In 1983, the committee invited Tryon Palace to participate as a featured attraction with the fall gardens being opened free to the public. Since the fall gardens displayed thousands of mums, the festival was promoted as the Swiss Bear Chrysanthemum Festival. The gardens were a huge hit. In 1984, the decision was made to drop Swiss Bear from the name and call it the Chrysanthemum Festival. The name remained  until the early 1990’s. As the revitalization effort was moving forward, the festival grew in size, expanding to take in two blocks of Pollock, two blocks of South Front and vacant property on those streets. We continued to hear people commenting they had trouble pronouncing the name, spelling it and men were reluctant to attend as they thought it was primarily a flower show. Even though posters and other promotional material still carried the name Chrysanthemum Festival, it was referred to more and more, simply as the MUMfest. By the mid-1990’s, that name was adopted and the festival is officially known as MUMfest.

As the festival attendance continued to grow, there were serious concerns for the safety of festival-goers due to the intense density. The completion of the new Neuse River Bridge and removal of the old bridge from the foot of Broad Street, led to the City’s request to NC DOT for permission to close Broad from Hancock Street and East Front from Broad to the Cunningham Bridge for the two day event. With their approval, the festival midway area was moved to Broad, East Front and Union Point in 2000.

What began as a modest one day, two-block event is now widely recognized as one of the finest award-winning festivals in the state. It attracts more than 80,000 festival-goers to our historic downtown and waterfront. MUMfest is a city sponsored event produced by Swiss Bear in cooperation with area businesses and nonprofits. This partnership made it possible to expand the festival throughout downtown and along the waterfront. Sponsorships, concession and vendor fees fund the festival. Festival proceeds are used to assist Swiss Bear with downtown revitalization projects.

Swiss Bear greatly appreciates all the support extended by the City, area businesses, volunteers and the community-at-large whose participation make MUMfest possible.

Susan Moffat Thomas                

Executive Director