Financial woes plague 39th annual Digby Scallop Days festival

CTV Atlantic: Finance woes for Digby Scallop fest Digby Scallop Days could be in trouble. The annual festival is facing financial struggles and organizers say many events could be called off

Digby Scallop Days has been a major Maritime festival for nearly 40 years, but this year the event is struggling financially.

As a result, organizers say many of the festival’s most popular events, like the fireworks and scallop-shucking competition, could be called off.

“We are going to have to cut back on some of the events that we have planned, due to lack of funding, sponsorships, and volunteers,” says Dale Kearney of Digby Scallop Days.

Digby is the scallop capital of the world and scallop fishing is a multi-million-dollar industry. The annual event celebrates Digby’s culinary claim to fame, but organizers say it is hard to compete with other community events in the area.

Richard Van Tassell owns a motel in downtown Digby. He says, with an aging population and people moving away, Digby Scallop Days is not attracting people like it used to.

“There were literally thousands of people around for it, it was a place where families that moved away came back home,” says Van Tassell.

After 39 years, Digby Scallop Days is the town’s longest running festival. It is due to celebrate its 40^th anniversary next year, but organizers aren’t sure what the future holds for the festival.

“If this year doesn’t go well, I’m not sure what’s going to happen next year,” says Kearney.

Digby Mayor Ben Cleveland says he is confident it will all work out in the end.

“The other festivals we host are specific to things; Lobster Bash - lobsters, music, the Wharf Rat Rally – motorcycles, but Scallop Days, this just kind of brings the families together, so there is something for everybody,” says Cleveland.

With Digby Scallop Days just weeks away, organizers say they will just have to wait and see if the tide will turn in their favour.

With files from CTV Atlantic's Suzette Belliveau