About $250,000 of public money put into failed Cape Breton music festival

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SYDNEY, N.S. — More than $250,000 in taxpayer money went into the failed Nashville Nor’east country music festival in Cape Breton.

Blaming poor ticket sales, the Greater Sydney Festival and Event Society pulled the plug on the event last month.

D.A. Landry, spokesman for Enterprise Cape Breton Corp., says the federal Crown corporation provided a $130,000 loan and a $100,000 grant to the event organizers in November.

Toby Koffman, spokesman for Economic and Rural Development and Tourism, says the province provided about ,700.

Festival spokesmann Terry Smith said the society has been in contact with the funding partners and intends to make every possible effort to meet its commitments.

The budget for the festival was originally set at $800,000 and the total targeted audience was 10,000 people.