Sisters events tent goes up

Up goes the big top.

The Sisters Folk Festival last weekend marked the first use of Sisters' own events tent.

The 60-foot-by-150-foot tent was secured this summer through $20,000 in grants from Nike and Cycle Oregon; a $2,500 grant from the City of Sisters; $3,600 from the Community Action Team of Sisters (CATS); and $3,600 from September in Sisters, a consortium of event organizations.

The ownership of the tent relieves events such as the folk festival, the Sisters Jazz Festival, Sisters in Sisters and others from a heavy overhead expense.

In the past, events had to budget $6,000 to $7,000 for tent rental and set-up. Owning the tent will greatly reduce those costs, which enhances the viability of events that rely on sponsorship dollars and ticket sales to keep going from year to year.

According to Kathy Deggendorfer, a folk festival board member who helped secure the grants, CATS will administer the tent use for the community.

The tent will be available for commercial uses, but it will not leave the Sisters community.

The tent is stored in an 18-foot trailer.

The tent can be erected in four stages to accommodate events of varying sizes. At its maximum size, the tent can seat approximately 1,000 people.

A local crew led by Rick Geraths set the tent up last week. It will remain up through the major events of September.