Inuvik (Sep 15/06) - The president of the End of the Road Music Festival Society said the event might be very different next year, if it indeed happens at all.

"We haven't had a meeting to discuss what will happen next year, but there is the idea of having a series of concerts throughout the year. There's also been the suggestion of combining it with the Petroleum Show," said society president Jonathan Churcher.

"These are just questions which are being asked."

While many people in the community would surely miss the annual festival, Churcher said attendance was low this year.

"The Friday attendance was way, way down from previous years," he said, adding that the festival's second-day numbers were average.

One potential cause of the dip, Churcher said, might have been the festival's choice of lesser-known bands such as country-music headliner Julian Austin.

While Austin's work has earned good reviews, Churcher said he might not have been famous enough to draw a big crowd.

"We tried to go for a variety of interests," Churcher said.

"Also, sometimes we just don't have the money to bring in the better-known bands."

Another drawback was the lack of a community feast, which Churcher said had been a popular feature in the past.

"We had to cut that back in a big way," he said, citing budget constraints.

While he said planning the festival was difficult, Churcher said the town was very supportive.

"They could not be more helpful," he said.

Despite the lower attendance, Churcher said the festival was still profitable.

"As it turns out, we came ahead financially," he said.

Since the board of directors has not yet met to plan next year's event, Churcher said they would be seeking suggestions from the public.

"Again, none of this has been seriously discussed. They are just questions which have been raised," he said of the idea to split-up or annex the festival.

"We're very open to feedback from the community," Churcher said.

"If we don't do what the community wants, we're not doing our job."