FAIRMONT - They warned this would happen.
"There is no way just the two of us could do this," Bev Korolewski said at a meeting following last summer's Interlaken Heritage Days' Summer Fun Festival.
But not enough people stepped forward to help. That left Korolewski and Bonnie Taplin - the only two people on the festival's committee - to make the call.
It wasn't an easy decision, but it was the only realistic option for two women who work full-time jobs: Fairmont won't be having a summer festival this year.
"Between Bev and I, I just don't have the ..." Taplin trailed off.
"I don't think people realize the man hours that go into putting on that festival and the parade," she said.
When she chaired the Granada centennial years ago, there were numerous committees that helped with various aspects of the five-day celebration.
"The whole community was involved," she said.
Not so in Fairmont, and that's disheartening.
"I'm normally not a quitter," Taplin said.
But unless 8 to 10 reliable people are quick to volunteer their services and take ownership of the festival, it's off. Time is running out to book entertainment.
"The summer festival could be huge. It could draw a lot of people into this community. I think we could still pull it off - I might not get much sleep," Taplin added, laughing.
If it doesn't happen this year, she is still holding out hope to return bigger and better than ever in 2013 - if people are willing to get involved.
"Maybe next year," she said, fingers crossed. "Maybe, maybe ..."
Anyone interested in serving on the festival committee for this summer or next can contact Taplin at (507) 236-7532.