Mimi is taking a summer break, so we’re reprinting the Lunch she had in July 2007 with Carol Baney, operations manager of the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts.
Carol Baney loves her job. As the employee with the longest tenure in the Arts Festival office, she is still going strong as she prepares for her 27th festival in July 2022. A native of Bellefonte, she worked for 12 years as a medical assistant and in the Office of Public Affairs and Marketing at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C., before returning to the area. As operations manager, Baney has a hand in nearly every aspect of coordinating the annual festival.
In the 15 years since this Lunch with Mimi was originally published, Baney has become an exhibitor herself at arts festivals in the region. She creates copper, brass, and bronze jewelry using found objects such as vintage watch parts, deconstructed costume jewelry, and new and vintage hardware.
Town&Gown publisher Mimi Barash Coppersmith sat down with Baney back in 2007 to discuss the festival, what’s in store for the future, and why it’s become such a special community tradition. Updated information in their conversation is printed in brackets.
Mimi: Well, Carol, I’ve known you since you started to work for the festival [26] years ago. What made you want to go work there?
Carol: I thought it was interesting and I’ve always loved art. I thought that I had the skills, as far as the organization, and the ability to put all the bits and pieces together, and it’s pretty much been a perfect fit since!
Mimi: I look at you as the glue—the constant over the years. From the time that you arrived, you’re the only one still there!
Carol: Yes, I think I have the record going!
Mimi: You’re the continuity! Every organization needs continuity. Tell us how you got this position.
Carol: It’s worked out well. I first started as the office manager. I did the daily books and maintained the databases, but it wasn’t overly exciting. Then I started to dabble in working with the food vendors and got more into the sidewalk sale part of it, and then I took over the physical arrangements. So once I got my hands around all of that, the board created a new position for me as operations manager, and now I pretty much have my hands on everything.
Mimi: You must love it.
Carol: I absolutely love it! I love the volunteers! I have performers who write to me just to say hi. I’ve come across many visual artists that I’ve come to know over the years, and I love to go visit with them. It’s just like one big, happy family here and I’d love to see it continue for many years to come.
Mimi: Over the years, we’ve always struggled with the financial piece of the arts in many venues in Happy Valley. Tell me a little about the financial side of the festival. Are we making progress?
Carol: I’m optimistic! When you were on the board, there were times when we were probably $30,000 to $40,000 in the red, but each year we kept creeping closer to the black. We do have some investments, but we still need to have the community involved. People think the festival will happen even if they don’t help us, but we still need people to come out and sponsor a band or the landscaping or anything that could give us an extra hand.
Mimi: Do you get some help from the Pennsylvania Council of the Arts?
Carol: We get a grant from the council. We also receive a great deal of in-kind support from the borough and Penn State, and we have donor gifts, but the remainder of our revenue is made up from [wristband] sales, food-vendor contracts, artist booth fees, and T-shirt sales booths.
[During the COVID-19 pandemic, we were worried that we wouldn’t be able to continue. But people really stepped up with their yearly contributions, and we were blessed by an angel donor who gave the money that we needed to keep the festival alive. Now we’re on an even financial keel going into our first in-person Arts Festival since 2019. We’re really excited!]
Mimi: How do you reach new artists?
Carol: It’s a lot of word of mouth. And we’re also highly rated in Sunshine Artist Magazine, which is a publication a lot of artists read, plus we’re also on a lot of other arts festival websites [and social media].
Mimi: So, you and I both remember when the People’s Choice Arts Festival began as sort of a battle of the local artists. Now there are two complementary festivals in the area. Are the relationships positive between the two groups?
Carol: We have a great relationship with the folks from People’s Choice. Our festivals are different enough that we complement each other. Each of us is happy to share our audience. It’s one plus one equals three.
Mimi: What are the biggest problems with the Arts Festival, other than money?
Carol: Space! We can use a little more space, but I’m not sure where we can get it. We could maybe have a few more artists’ booths; we could maybe have a new venue—and we [have expanded into the State Theatre]. Then there’s always the traffic problem and some vandalism and things at night, but that’s pretty much it.
Mimi: I know there have been a couple of times in the past where we’ve had extremely hot weather or terribly stormy weather. How does it impact the outcome of the festival?
Carol: It does impact the outcome, but we’ve been pretty fortunate as far as not having to cancel shows. I can only remember one festival where we had bad weather before the last show of the night and we had to pay the artist for not performing. Usually we’re pretty lucky and the storms come toward the end of our schedule. We’ve had some nasty storms come through Memorial Field right at the end of shows, where we’ve had to tear down things because of thunder and lightning. We’ve actually been marooned on the stage in Memorial Field! The field flooded, almost up to the midway point of the stage, and we waded across in about ankle-deep water in the middle of an electrical storm.
Mimi: Does the festival have any problems getting volunteers and keeping up with the volunteer demand?
Carol: I would say that our retention rate is probably pretty close to 80 percent. It’s amazing as far as I’m concerned. We have people who specifically ask for their same time, same booth, every year, and it’s nice to know that we can count on those folks. We also get young people who need community-service hours from the high school. I’m really pleased with the number of people we have.
Mimi: The festival is one of the best examples of the beautiful potential of town-gown—it takes the facilities and resources of both the community and the campus, and it takes the talent and willingness of volunteers. I believe it’s one of the shining examples of why this is such a great college community! The festival began as a collaborative effort, and it has survived as that.
Carol: It’s great! We really appreciate all the work the people at the university put into it. Nobody really thinks about how the festival shell is put up, but the university guys are out there putting up the shell, they hang up our banners over the walkways, there’s lights that are changed, and benches are moved. We also work with the Office of University Relations. And then on the town side, the borough—we meet with them prior to the festival, and then during the festival to make sure everything’s running properly. We couldn’t do the festival without either side! People don’t realize all the behind-the-scenes work that both sides of the street put into it.
Mimi: Now, what can you say that will motivate more new people to donate to the festival this year?
Carol: Well, first thing, without the festival in July, it would probably be like a ghost town here without the students. Certainly, the festival brings the town to life, and we would be lost without it. It’s just a wonderful event, and we hope to see everybody come out and support the festival so we can continue with it for years to come!
Mimi: How does one contribute?
Carol: You can support the festival by buying a [wristband], which enables you to get into the performances. You can purchase the official festival T-shirt. We also have a nostalgia booth where you can buy old T-shirts. Or you can just write a check to the festival for any amount. We also have an account at the [Centre Foundation], and you can remember the festival in your will. We’d love to have you support us.
Mimi: In the meantime, you and I hope that everybody enjoys the festival, comes downtown and on campus to see a really remarkable event happen, mostly with volunteer help! And from me and all of the folks who are going to enjoy the festival: thank you, Carol, for helping to make the event as spectacular as it always is!
Carol: Thank you, Mimi, for all of your support over the years and for allowing me to share my inside view of this wonderful event! T&G
