City Feud With Founder Threatens O’Fallon Fall Arts Festival

O’FALLON, Ill. (AP) — The future of an annual fall arts festival in southwestern Illinois is in jeopardy amid a dispute between the event organizer and the city of O’Fallon.

The Belleville News-Democrat reports that Strange Folk Festival founder Autumn Wiggins told the O’Fallon Arts Commission that she planned to stop organizing the 10-year-old event in her hometown to spend more time at her St. Louis crafts shop.

Commission members counter that the city controls the event. O’Fallon has confiscated a laptop computer used by Wiggins, who in turn sent a cease-and-desist letter after the parks department purchased a domain name for the festival’s website.

St. Louis artist Michelle Volansky told the newspaper the city is using her 2014 festival design for the upcoming event without permission.

ReCENT POSTS

Loading...