In the next year the Festival of Light board will face a tough decision: whether to close one of Chickasha’s most popular tourist attractions.

The Festival of Light brings more than 300,000 visitors to Chickasha each year, but recent financial losses could shut the event down.

“FOL is in a very delicate state right now and could easily be lost next year due to the adversity we have faced this year,” said spokesperson Kristi Davis, “The embezzlement, the losses and added expenses due to the flood, and now the loss of approximately 500,000 to 1 million lights.”

The financial state of the Festival was first rocked this year by the discovery in March that former treasurer Angie Jeffries had used more than $18,000 in festival funds to pay debts on her personal American Express Card. The money was allegedly embezzled between May of 2005 and September of 2006.

Jeffries pled guilty in September of this year. She received a sentence including 45 days in jail and community service, as well as restitution.

“Hopefully the embezzlement hasn't hurt the donations,” Davis said, “The embezzlement didn't take place at the point of donation plus the perpetrator was caught and punished so that is about all an organization can do.”

The losses continued through the wet summer as Chickasha was devastated by multiple flash floods.

Davis said the festival lost most of its gift shop merchandise, as well as some power boxes, big tree cords and electronic equipment due to the flooding. The festival also replaced $30,000 in lights that will more than likely have to be replaced again thanks to the recent ice storms.

Davis said the Festival is also facing cost increases.

“The cost of everything has quadrupled in the last 15 years if not more,” Davis said.

“The Festival of Light is still primarily a volunteer organization. We have one person on staff, our Park Supervisor, that works on an hourly basis during Festival Season,” Davis said, “Due to Insurance & Liability issues, we must contract decoration of the trees and electrical work to independent contractors rather than volunteers like in the ‘early’ days.”

Davis added, “Also, due to insurance liability issues, we had to order and/or rent new, safer equipment to install the big tree and the bridge which drives up the costs of installation drastically.”

The festival has $130,000 budget for the year, of which they have raised approximately $70,000, Davis said.

“We have to have a reserve of $40,000 to be able to put the show on for next year after this year's bills are paid,” Davis said. She added that the Festival of Light board will not know how much money is left over until the first of February.

If the board does not have enough money to continue by the end of the season, they do have two backup plans before resorting to closing the festival.