Many of you are probably wondering why you haven't heard anything about the upcoming Broad Ripple Street Festival. You haven't heard anything because it's no longer up or coming. The Street Fest has gone away quietly without so much as a word of warning, until now. Let me take you back in time to the creation and then loss of our dear Fest. Cue the flashback music.

Back in 2003, the Broad Ripple Village Association partnered with Emmis Broadcasting to put on the very first Taste of Broad Ripple in June. The Taste was such a hit, it made repeat appearances in the Village in 2004 and 2005. The Taste has featured Broad Ripple favorites such as Bazbeaux Pizza, Brugge Brasserie, Ripple Bagel & Deli, and Naked Tchopstix. Concert melodies showcasing local and national acts could be heard 'round the Ripple and there were even events for kids.

Despite its success, the Fall of 2005 marked the beginning of the end for the then named Taste. The BRVA felt the financial distribution between the two parties needed to be reevaluated. This led them to attempt to amend their contract with Emmis. Emmis, however, did not feel the same way and subsequently ended the partnership. The BRVA decided to seek out a competing radio station for support. It was then discovered they had overlooked a legal loophole: Emmis had registered the name "Taste of Broad Ripple." This meant that if the BRVA put on the Taste of Broad Ripple, or anything that suggested that name, they would face a lawsuit. Obviously, this volunteer neighborhood nonprofit couldn't compete with a corporate entity.

Last year the BRVA created a partnership with Clear Channel that allowed them to manage and produce the Broad Ripple Street Festival in July. This festival went on just the same as before with hardly a notice of its changes. By moving the date and renaming the event, they had avoided the copyright conflict. The conflict they couldn't avoid, however, was the contract change they faced in January of this year. At this time, Clear Channel informed the BRVA of a corporate shift in the event revenue sharing policy. This meant that the BRVA would have to take on a number of large expenses that previously had been handled by Clear Channel, including the liquor liability insurance. The expenses were so great that the BRVA simply couldn't continue to produce a street event, no matter what the date or name.

The Street Festival will be missed by us all, but there are high hopes for its eventual return. Ellen Morley Matthews, President of the BRVA says, "We are so disappointed that we cannot bring a street event to the Village this year. As a volunteer who worked the Fest last year, it was wonderful to look down on the Avenue and see people of all kinds, including families, listening to music, eating and drinking, enjoying themselves and our wonderfully unique community. Our goal is to start planning now to bring an event back to the Village."