If there is a Harvest Festival next year, the Town of Amherstburg won't be part of it.
Councillors voted down a motion to assume operation of the event in 2017.
A report to council suggested the festival would not survive without municipal involvement.
"It is highly unlikely that an event such as WE Harvest will occur in 2017 without town involvement," the report reads. "This decision will play an important role reaffirming to residents, stakeholders and investors the town is committed to developing an alternative economy."
However, some on council expressed doubts the town should be in the festival business, and Deputy Mayor Bart DiPasquale says there aren't many events with which it is involved.
"We do do a lot of festivals in Amherstburg, but they're mostly run by different organizations," he says. "They usually turn out pretty well."
The event was new to the town this year. The Amherstburg Chamber of Commerce agreed to run it last September to fill the void left by the Shores of Erie Wine Festival, which was cancelled because of ongoing litigation over the fatal crash that took the life of Emily Bernauer, a volunteer at the Shores of Erie event.
When the chamber decided not to run an event in 2017, council had three options including assuming operation, approaching other organizations to operate it, or doing nothing.
DiPasquale doubts council's refusal will spell the festival's doom.
"In my opinion, I think someone will take it over -- I'm not sure who's going to take it over," he says.
The event drew more than 4,800 attendees from September 9 to September 11 and generated more than $146,000 in sales for the 24 vendors who took part.
