Kiwanis Club crumbles in Grand Falls-Windsor, but the music festival lives on

They've done raffles for charities,sponsored cadet programs,helped with breakfast initiatives at schoolsand supported underprivileged kids with financial help

The Kiwanis Club of Grand Falls-Windsorhasgiven a lot to the community over the past 58 years. But its volunteer base has dwindled, and now theclub is no more.

"A lack of people, not lack of concern, not lack of interest, but just no time, and a little bit threadbare, if you will, as a result ofscheduling and of aging as well," Dave Anthony, outgoing club president, told CBC News.

While the club work has ceased operation, its marquee event, the annual music festival, will live on.

"It's just so good to realize that this will continue and that it might be the end of one aspect, but not the full era," Anthony said. "It's continued in another form and plans have already startedand are underway for what will gear up to be, I'm sure, a very successful run again this year."

Kiwanis clubs are located in 80 countriesbut each individual club is different. The threadthat ties them together is the focus on helping children. According to the service organization, "When you give a child the chance to learn, experience, dream, grow, succeed and thrive, great things happen."

And great things have been happening with Kiwanis in Grand Falls-Windsor.

WATCH | It's not the end of the road for the musical festival that Kiwanis Club supported for decades:

After 50 years, a Kiwanis Club is folding. Its namesake music festival will live on

23 days ago

Duration 2:50

The Kiwanis Club in Grand Falls-Windsor, N.L., like some other service clubs, is seeing dwindling participation, says outgoing president Dave Anthony. The music festival that bears its name in the town will live on, a comfort to many in the wake of a long-standing community group ending its sponsorship after 57 years. The CBCs Troy Turner has more.

Anthony said he used to help the club with initiatives in the early 1980s, but never became a full member until about 15 years ago. Since then, he's seen many of the coremembers move on.

While it's difficult to let go, Anthony said, many of the Kiwanis members plan to stay involved in the music festival.

"It's a standard part of life in this community, you know, and not only Grand Falls-Windsor, but certainly the extended area," he said. "It's attracted hundreds and hundreds of kids over the years."

If all goes to plan, the Central Newfoundland Music Festival the new non-profitsetup to the run future concertswill continue to welcome studentsofmusic from throughout the region.

David Oxford, who has been volunteering withKiwanis music festivals for years, it the volunteergroup's secretary. He says the format of the new festival will be verysimilar to the previous onesand having Kiwanis members pass along their knowledge and expertise was a great help to the new non-profit.

The group spent the summer workingonforming the new entity, and has already started planning for the next festival, which will take place in March 2025.

"It's still the same people organizing.It is still going to be as successful as it was because we were very fortunate to be able to have some wonderful people that gave us the information to continue to make it as successful," he said.

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