Space Coast Art Festival leaves Cocoa Beach for 2014

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City officials had already agreed last week to postpone the start of a project to revamp a two-block stretch of Minutemen Causeway until this year’s festival was finished. But the art show board decided Monday to move the event to Port Canaveral.

“Our city bent over backwards to try to meet their concerns and find a way to keep it in Cocoa Beach,” said Mayor Dave Netterstrom, who is a former festival board member. “We pushed off a major project just so we could have the art festival there.”

The art show board chose to have the event at the Port in the area around the Exploration Tower this year, but has no plans for 2015, according to Christy Davis, a group spokeswoman.

Last month, the art festival began working with city officials to find an alternate location in the city while two downtown construction projects were expected to be underway. Festival organizers determined that other downtown sites or Shepard Park could not accommodate the event.

“The board looked at a couple of locations that the city suggested,” Davis said. “There were issues with either space or security.”

The city decided last week to delay the start of a project to transform Minutemen Causeway until December. The street scape project encompasses the two blocks of that street at the center of past festival. It is intended to add more trees, pedestrian space and calm traffic. The city expects to have the Minutemen project completed in time to host the 2015 Art Festival.

The art show board, however, didn’t want to hinder the revitalization of downtown, according to a statement. The festival is also concerned about space that will be lost because of the construction of a fire station near City Hall.

“We lose over 100 artist spaces in the city hall parking lot as well as the grassy area, which is our entire student art area,” Davis said. “They will still need to find a place to put those areas of the art festival and still keep it cohesive with the flow of the show.”

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Davis, who manages the Space Coast Art Festival office, is also concerned about how the changes to Minutemen Causeway will affect the event in the future.

“They are going to place planters down the center of Minutemen, how is that going to affect our spacing and crowd control?” Davis asked.

The port welcomed the opportunity to host the major event which attracts about 250 artists and more than 50,000 visitors during Thanksgiving weekend.

“We were approached by members of the Space Coast Art Festival (about)their desireto evaluate the Port as one of the sites being considered for this year’s event, and it is our pleasure to help our beachside neighbors retain one of our community’s most beloved area festivals,” said port spokeswoman Rosalind Harvey in an email.

Kay Halpern, a Cocoa Beach artist who has won awards at the Space Coast Art Festival, has a sentimental attachment to the Cocoa Beach site, but thinks Port Canaveral might be a better location with more space and parking.

“I think it is a cozy place to have it, people love it,” she said of the downtown site.

The loss of the art show is expected to hurt businesses and organizations in downtown Cocoa Beach.

The art show was a major funding source for VFW Post 10148 on Minutemen Causeway. The VFW opens its doors during the art show to sell food and drinks to the public.

In addition to covering operating expenses, the post raises money to help wounded veterans, families and provide college scholarships.

“The art show represents a big chunk of money for us,” said Dennis Dittmeier, commander of VFW Post 10148. “We will do our best to do other things to make up for it and keep the place open.”

Event officials would not commit to returning the event to Cocoa Beach in 2015, according to Netterstrom.

But Davis said the art festival would consider moving the event back after the downtown construction.

“Anything after that, they haven’t made any decisions,” Davis said.

Residents and supporters of the art show offered strong reactions on social media and many opposed to the event leaving Cocoa Beach.

“Sad news!” Marcia Lusk-Caldwell commented on the Wake Up Cocoa Beach! group page on Facebook.

“One of the best weekends of the year in CB!”

Netterstrom believes the long community investment and tradition that included volunteers and civic organizations will need another outlet to fill the void on Thanksgiving weekend.

“We will put something into place so that energy can be funneled into continuing the tradition here in Cocoa Beach, regardless of what the art festival decides to do,” Netterstrom said.