This weekend, organizers for the La Kermesse are hosting its 28th annual festival in Biddeford, to be held at the Biddeford Ice Arena and Expo Center.

For the first year since the festival’s inception, St. Louis Field on West Street won’t be teaming with the area’s Franco-American populace celebrating their heritage. Instead, a much pared-down gathering is happening at the Ice Arena.

In addition to the change in location, organizers did not schedule their traditional Thursday night block party, fireworks display or the parade on Friday evening. Instead of milling around a field (with the feel of a typical fair), festival-goers will be in a parking lot and a (usually) ice arena.

At the risk of repeating a cliché, in comparison to past years, that just sounds cold.

After a year of battling with the city over damage done to the field last year and accusations that the former president of the La Kermesse festival misappropriated funds well into the thousands, this year’s festivities, albeit still toting the La Kermesse name, may be hardly recognizable as the weekend-long event I’ve been attending since early childhood.

Just two weeks ago, the former president of the festival, Priscille Gagnon, was indicted by a York County grand jury on two counts of theft by felony unauthorized taking or transfer and two counts of misuse of entrusted property.

The charges claim Gagnon pilfered over $10,000 of the festival’s money and at least $10,000 from the condominium association to which she served as treasurer over a five-year period.

In addition to the lost funds, the festival was smacked with a bill of more than $25,000 to reimburse the city of Biddeford for repairs to damage done to St. Louis field. Because it rained pretty much all of last June, the grounds were unusually soft, so when the tractor-trailer trucks went rolling through with all the carnival gear and the rides were set up, the field was heavily damaged.

It took city workers until this past spring to get the field functional again for the myriad of sports practices and games that typically take place there.

Festival organizers failed to pay the bill, so the city wouldn’t allow them to host this year’s festivities at it’s usual location. However, mayor Joanne Twomey did offer the organizers a chance to hold the Kermesse in downtown Biddeford. Unfortunately for Reilly’s Bakery and other downtown businesses, organizers refused, opting instead to hold the festival at the arena.

Somehow these new arrangements just don’t seem, well, right. To me, nothing kicks off summer quite like watching the Kermesse fireworks off the Saco River bridge surrounded by tens of thousands of fellow locals. There is no other time in the course of a year that I run into as many people that I know from every aspect of my life as that night and the subsequent festival at St. Louis field.

I understand the concept of “innocent until proven guilty.” That being said, if the defendant is indeed guilty of the charges, then shame on her. The La Kermesse holds a tradition in my heart and that of tens of thousands of your friends, relatives, neighbors and former classmates. It was something we looked forward to throughout the year as a kind-of coming home and mistakes and worse have all but taken that away from us.

There are several events at this year’s Kermesse I’m excited to see, such as the Motor Booty Affair concert on Saturday night. And of course it just wouldn’t be the Kermesse without a tromp through the Casino tent.

There’s also a ton of children-friendly events, such as face painting, field events, a climbing wall, kiddie rides and a petting zoo. Admission to the outdoor activities are free.

I applaud the current festival organizers for making sure that, despite what has amounted to one heck of a bad year, still going forward with the festival. Hopefully the success of this year will be enough to gain momentum and continue the nearly 30-year tradition.

Because, as they say, the show must go on.

— Elizabeth Reilly can be reached at elizabethreilly1@yahoo.com.