LAMBERTVILLE: Poster auction finances explained

Nearly $5,000 of the proceeds will go toward expense of putting on the auction

By Linda Seida, Staff Writer
   LAMBERTVILLE — For the first time in the event’s recent history, proceeds from the Shad Festival’s poster auction this year will not go entirely toward scholarships.
   Because of the worsening economy, nearly $5,000 of the proceeds will go toward the expense of putting on the auction, according to the Lambertville Area Chamber of Commerce.
   ”It’s the first time I can remember, and I’ve been here 15 years,” said Ellen Pineno, the chamber’s office manager and the festival’s coordinator. “There is no record-keeping for the very earliest Shad Festivals.”
   After expenses, the remainder will go to scholarships for graduating high school seniors who plan to further their art education or study an art-related discipline in college. Ms. Pineno did not provide an estimate of how much the poster auction might raise this year.
   By 2007, the annual event had raised more than $300,000 for scholarships. That year’s auction raised $20,000.
   Previously, 100 percent of the proceeds went to scholarships for students who live within the boundaries of two school districts, South Hunterdon Regional High School and New Hope-Solebury High School.
   The decision to subtract expenses “has a lot to do with the times,” Ms. Pineno said. “It was a very, very difficult decision for the board of directors to make. The cost for producing the event is $5,000, and the chamber is no longer able to absorb those expenses.”
   Last year, the chamber awarded six scholarships to graduating seniors. The scholarships, which are merit-based, can vary from $500 to 5,000, according to Ms. Pineno.
   There are “supporters” who help sustain the event each year, including Dan Whitaker of the Lambertville Station and Gene Albert of River Walk, but with rising expenses, it’s not enough, according to Ms. Pineno.
   ”We need a sponsor to come forward,” she said.
   The chamber has published a list of the poster auction’s expenses on its Web site, www.lambertville.org/.
   Expenses include $782 for poster blanks, which are 4-ply artist boards of a specialty cut; $795 for poster logo printing; $198 for the printing of children’s posters; $1,300 for artists’ T-shirts; a $600 gymnasium rental fee paid to the First Presbyterian Church; $170 for T-shirts for auction volunteers; $55 for a cordless microphone; $400 for postage; $75 for a prize-sponsor banner; $195 for a preview reception; $180 for poster roster printing; and $200 for ribbons, badges and other materials.
   Although the total is listed as $5,000 on the Web site, the total is actually $50 shy of that amount.
   ”Each year, the chamber’s costs go up exponentially,” Ms. Pineno said. “The chamber can no longer be in the position of losing money. It takes seven months to put on, and we have a great many expenses.”
   On the other hand, the chamber is “still not taking a penny for the administration of the scholarships,” Ms. Pineno said. “That time I donate is my community service.”
   The 28th annual Shad Festival will be held April 25 and 26 from 12:30 to 5:30 p.m. The auction will be held April 26 at 3 p.m. at the First Presbyterian Church, 31 N. Union St.
   Poster blanks are available now at the chamber office, 60 Wilson St.; Sojourner, 26 Bridge St.; Coryell Gallery, 8 Coryell St.; and Riverrun Gallery at the Laceworks.