DATE: Thursday, June 5, 1997                TAG: 9706050461

SECTION: LOCAL                   PAGE: B5   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: BY IDA KAY JORDAN, STAFF WRITER 

                                            LENGTH:   76 lines

HARBORFEST AND SEAWALL FESTIVAL ARE GROWING TOGETHER ONE BIG RIVERFRONT PARTY IS SET FOR 2000, WHEN 100 TALL SHIPS WILL VISIT THE HARBOR.

Pick up a schedule of events at Norfolk's Harborfest or Portsmouth's Seawall Festival this weekend and, for the first time in the long history of the waterfront celebrations, you'll find a listing of entertainment across the river.

This will be the first small step toward turning the Seawall Festival and Harborfest into one big riverfront bash by the year 2000, when Operation Sail will bring more than 100 tall ships from around the world to the harbor in mid-June.

The directors of FestEvents in Norfolk and Ports Events in Portsmouth say that by working together to produce one festival, they will save money and, at the same time, create better festivals.

``We don't compete,'' FestEvents director Karen Scherberger said. ``We complement each other and, if we work together, we will attract more media attention and more people. We already are strong separately, but we'll be much, much stronger together. We could be the largest festival on the East Coast.''

``We have no intention of merging our organizations,'' Ports Events director Linda Lamm said recently.

``We're simply going to be more cooperative.''

Staging a combined festival for Operation Sail 2000 is important, Lamm said. With a flotilla of 100 tall ships coming into the harbor, some will need berthing in Portsmouth and others in Norfolk, Scherberger said.

From that year on, the festival's changes will be more visible.

``We could change the name, change the date to the middle of June, and go from there,'' Lamm said. ``It could become a fantastic attraction to people from other parts of the country if we really get our act together.''

``When visitors or new residents come to the waterfront, they don't see the imaginary line,'' Scherberger said. ``We need to be realistic and step out of old ways of thinking about these cities. It's pretty obvious to most people that this is one harbor.''

Sharing patrons is nothing new for Harborfest and the Seawall Festival. Thousands ride back and forth on ferry boats each day during the festivals, which have been planned to coincide for almost two decades.

``The river doesn't divide us,'' Lamm said. ``It unites us.''

Lamm and Scherberger often work together to avoid conflicting events on the waterfront.

However, until this year, Harborfest was operated by a separate committee not connected with FestEvents.

When the volunteer committee gave up the festival and FestEvents took over, Scherberger and Lamm were able to cooperate on festival planning.

This year, they are coordinating entertainment and will offer complementary events on each side of the river. Each festival will promote the other in its program and advertising.

Next year the directors hope to print one program, do joint promotions and combined fund-raising.

``The fund-raisers in each office are going to get together to avoid making overlapping calls,'' Lamm said. ``Instead of two people going to a company to ask for sponsorships, one person will call on behalf of both sides. That will make it easier for the sponsors, and it should save us some money. Everybody will benefit from joint promotions.''

``Some businesses have not contributed to either because they can't do both,'' Scherberger said. With less money going for duplication of efforts, the festivals will have more money for a greater variety of activities.

``We really don't want to be like each other,'' Lamm said. ``We want people to have a reason to go back and forth.''

That already is happening, with three ferry boats and the Carrie B criss-crossing the harbor throughout the three festival days. This year, new water taxis will be operating.

``Both cities are claiming tourism as a major growth industry, and we have two sides of a harbor with lots to offer visitors,'' Scherberger said. ``We have such a great opportunity, and there's no better place to start than with the festival.'' ILLUSTRATION: DOWNTOWN FESTIVALS

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