Plans to bring a new countywide festival to Moore County by next spring are moving ahead after a meeting of community leaders Tuesday in Southern Pines.

About 30 people gathered at the Campbell House to discuss the proposed festival and form a steering committee to guide the process.

Inspired by the Spoleto Festival in Charleston, S.C., and other such annual gatherings, the Moore County festival is slated to be a four-day event taking place March 25 through 28, 2010. It would feature a combination of indoor and outdoor elements, including musical performances and opportunities for local artists to showcase their work. It is intended to attract local residents and visitors from outside the area to "enjoy diverse activities and experiences that showcase the best of Moore County past and present."

"It's an idea, and I think the time has come," said Chris Dunn, executive director of the Arts Council of Moore County. "The ultimate goal is to use the best of Moore County to sell Moore County and showcase it."

As it stands now, the festival would have four major areas of concentration: arts, history, sports and agriculture. Potential benefits to the county include an economic boost to retail sales, hotel occupancy rates and tax collections. The community and participating organizations would receive increased regional promotion, increased awareness of the community as a destination, and increased audiences.

Residents would be encouraged to participate, raising awareness and pride in the county's cultural and historical community. Collaborative and artistic partnerships would be also be encouraged, potentially "resulting in a cultural renaissance."

The festival would include a number of low-cost and free events.

"We want this to be accessible to as many people as possible," Dunn said.

In addition to the Arts Council's involvement, the county's Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB) will take the lead on the marketing aspect of the festival. The steering committee will be charged with overseeing the event; securing funding through ticket sales, grants, sponsors, and donations; promoting the festival throughout the region; and coordinating transportation, parking and security for the events as needed.

"This is a communitywide, countywide effort and it takes all of us to pull this off," said Claire Phillips, director of marketing and public relations for the CVB.

While many of those attending the meeting supported the idea, some expressed concerns that the scope of the festival was too broad.

"[The areas of concentration] don't seem to hang together very well to me," Sandhills Community College President John Dempsey said.

Pilot Editor Steve Bouser, who has advocated such a festival in several of his columns over the years, echoed Dempsey's comments.

"We don't have a concept yet," he said, adding that most festivals elsewhere are built around some sort of event or happening.

Bouser also said there might not be enough time to put the festival together between now and next March.

A working title, "Magic of the Pines Festival," was used for the presentation, though many at the meeting were wary of using the word "magic" in the title. A semi-serious suggestion for a "Pollen Festival" was also met with resistance.

Members of the group seemed to like the idea of working "Longleaf Pine" into the name somehow.

Despite some reservations expressed by others, CVB President and CEO Caleb Miles advocated moving ahead with the process. He said the name and an integrated multimedia marketing program would be rolled out in the next month or so.

"We can keep putting this off because we want a perfect event," he said. "There are going to be some bumps, but it's going to get better every year. If you put it off another year, we're going to lose a lot of momentum."

Greg Zywocinski, president of the Southern Pines Business Association, agreed.

"If not now, when?" he asked. "I think this community can do this and I think the type of people we have in this room can do this. I think we need to go forward."

Contact John Krahnert III at 693-2473 or by e-mail at jkrahnert@thepilot.com.