BIDDEFORD — The 28th La Kermesse Franco-Americaine Festival will take place this year, but it will be a much scaled down from festivals of the past. Plans for the festival were confirmed Monday by Ray Gagne, vice president of the organization that puts on the festival and Paul Gagne, treasurer, at a press conference at the La Kermesse office in the J. Richard Martin Community Center.

Because of financial troubles and loss of use of its traditional venue at St. Louis Field, it was doubtful whether the festival would take place at all this year.

On Monday, the men announced that this year the event, which usually lasts three days, will only be held for two days, June 25 and 26. Also, instead of holding the event at the St. Louis Field on Hill Street, it will be held at the Biddeford Ice Arena and Expo.

The festival’s board of trustees met on Thursday and unanimously decided this was the route to take, at least for this year, said Ray Gagne.

Among the usual features that will be missing from the 28th La Kermesse festival are the block party with fireworks, which was traditionally held the day before the official start of the festival. The block party was not held last year either due to finances.

This year will be the first year that there is no parade through Biddeford’s downtown on the first day of the festival. As well, there will be no amusement rides and no big shows this year.

The La Kermesse festival will include a performance by the band Motor Booty Affair, a condensed Idol singing contest, possibly a petting zoo and kiddie rides, some food vendors and a performance by a French Canadian band.

According to Mayor Joanne Twomey, however, even the plans for this year’s scaled-down festival are still in question. She said in a telephone interview this morning she still plans to run the organizers’ plans before City Council at their next meeting on May 4.

“The liability of the ice arena does have me concerned,” said Twomey.

The city owns the Biddeford Ice Arena and Expo, which has a Board of Directors that manages the facility.

“I think it’s great that La Kermesse is going to continue,” said City Council President Bob Mills in a telephone call this morning. “But I do have some reservations.

“If there’s going to be an increase in electrical usage and police and fire services, is this going to lead to more financial liability that La Kermesse is not going to be able to reimburse the city for?”

City officials have said the festival caused severe damage to St. Louis Field, and the city had to $25,000 to repair it, which has not be repaid.

In addition to letting the public know about the plans for this year’s festival, Ray Gagne said the press conference was also called to tell the public their side of the story regarding the field.

During last year’s festival there was heavy rain, said Gagne, which he said was “the worse thing I’ve ever seen since I’ve been associated with the festival.”

Although the ground was wet, he said, the heavy equipment and trucks needed to move the amusements and tents had to get on and off the field quickly so the vendors could move on to their next location.

While organizers realized there was damage, said Gagne, they hoped to line up local landscapers to volunteer their time to make repairs.

However, according to Gagne, he was told that repairs needed to be made quickly so the field could be used, so the city paid to have the field fixed.

In July, he and then-President Priscille Gagnon, who is on a leave of absence for personal reasons, went before the council to discuss the field, he said. At that time, they also listed the significant financial investment the organization had put into the field and the contributions it had made to the city and local nonprofit organizations.

When he received a letter from City Solicitor Keith Jacques on behalf of the city, dated March 22, which asked the festival organization to pay the $25,000 cost of field repairs and notified it that the field could not be used again, it took him by surprise, said Gagne.

“I felt comfortable that the agreement would allow us to go on the field,” he said.

The city and La Kermesse entered into an agreement regarding the use of the field and other issues. The agreement, which is in effect through 2021, states that the city will provide public works services to the field, excluding services for damage caused by “negligence” of La Kermesse.

“They (city officials) felt we were negligent, we felt we were not,” said Gagne. “Hopefully we will resolve these issues. I don’t know where we will go from here.”

— Staff Writer Dina Mendros can be contacted at 282-1535, Ext. 324 or dmendros@journaltribune.com.