Aug 16, 2007 - Festival Antigonish is currently celebrating its 20th anniversary season and marks its milestone achievement this weekend with the announcement of an endowment fund to be managed by a newly created Festival Antigonish Foundation.

At a brunch in his home this Sunday, August 19th, with the inaugural donors in attendance plus the Festival Antigonish company and staff, longtime Festival supporter, Brian MacLeod, Chair of the new Foundation, will launch this exciting initiative by announcing initial pledges to the endowment fund of $325,000.

"We plan to increase that figure pretty quickly," says MacLeod. "Our target is one million dollars by the end of the year. We’ll manage the fund so that the principal is untouched and increased by further donations over time, while the interest is donated annually to the Festival’s operating budget – we’ll put the money right on the stage."

This is music to the ears of Ed Thomason, the Festival’s Artistic Producer, who has been working with MacLeod over the last several months to secure those pledges.

"Festival Antigonish has always had strong support from local people," he says. "This new Foundation signals in a big way the community’s commitment to sustaining Festival Antigonish for another twenty years. It’s a major development and very exciting."

As well as Brian and Irene MacLeod of The MacLeod Group, the list of inaugural donors includes Steve and Kathy Smith from Central Home Improvement, John and Ann Chisholm of Nova Construction, Harley and Wendy MacCaull of A.A.Munro Insurance, Tony and Jenny Overmars of Tony's Meats, Dr Minoli Amit and Dr John Hamilton; from Pictou, Frank and Debbie Sobey, and from Halifax, David and Margaret Fountain.

Brian MacLeod, Steve Smith, John Chisholm, Harley MacCaull, John Hamilton, and Frank Sobey, will be joined on the Board of the Foundation by Marc Champoux from BMO Nesbitt Burns; Eric Atkinson from Law Firm, Mac, Mac & Mac; the current Chair of Festival Antigonish, Maurice Smith; the Festival’s Administrator, Madonna MacIntyre; and Artistic Producer, Ed Thomason.

"Brian won’t say it himself but I will," observes Thomason. "This is an impressive group, proven achievers, who will guide Festival Antigonish to a secure, sustainable and exciting future."