By JOLENE OGLE
THE King of the Mountain Festival (KoM) has been dealt a blow after Cooroy-based soft drink company Wimmers pulled their naming right sponsorship from the annual Festival.
The festival is due to take place on Sunday 26 July, but a media release from the King of the Mountain committee confirmed the end of the naming sponsorship deal.
Noosa Today contacted Wimmers who said they were “disappointed” and “frustrated” at the outcome of the festival’s future plans, saying they believed the festival was heading in a different direction.
Pomona KoM Festival chairperson Heather Manders said planning was well underway despite the sudden loss of the festival’s primary sponsor and said the split was amicable.
“Although there was a strong push to create a much larger, multi-day affair staged by an event company, our feedback is that yet another big, brassy, professional event isn’t what our community wants,” she said.
“People sometimes enjoy a slower pace and the sense of belonging that comes from attending small-town festivals that are about participation and fun, not just about making money.”
Other festival sponsors have stayed on board including Bendigo Bank, who has committed $6000 to the festival to sponsor the Mountain Challenge.
Bendigo Bank Manager Geoff Edwards said the KoM Festival is one of the best opportunities for the community to get together in the hinterland.
“Who would have thought a simple bet in a pub in 1958 would see us all here in 2015 preparing to cheer on amazing athletes and celebrate hard working volunteers – particularly the Cooroy Pomona Lions Club,” he said.
“This is precisely what we’re about – supporting the community that supports us and we’re proud to be here again in 2015.”
