As the Black Swamp Arts Festival came to a close yesterday, festival organizers breathed a sigh of relief.

Since its inception in 1993, the festival has seen an increasing number of fine artists, performing artists and of course, participants.

The increasing size of the festival has also led to an increase in the number of organizers.

Their task?

Keep the festival interesting to all of the participants, both local and out-of-town.

Some of those participants, like BGSU senior George Goll, came for the art.

“I’m a big fan of art, so I just wanted to experience that,” Goll said of his first visit to the festival.

Others, like alumna Lisa Stotz, came to escape the monotony of the local bar scene.

“We keep coming every year because it’s a good time, good food, beer and music,” Stotz said. “It’s something different to go to besides the bars.”

A few participants came solely to sample the wide variety of food served by the festival’s concession vendors.

When sophomore Dan Lesher was asked why he came to the festival, he answered simply, “The food.”

Long before the art is judged and the awards are handed out, festival organizers must determine which of the more than 40 food vendors applying will be awarded the 13 coveted spots on the festival grounds.

“We’re always striving for variety,” said Julie Melendez, a co-chair of the BSAF marketing and public relations committee. She added that the idea is to avoid having more than one vendor serving the same item, such as gyros, ribs or tacos.

According to Kelly Kling, also a co-chair of the committee, many of the vendors who perform well each year are asked to return.

“We do continue to use them as long as they’ve not been a problem, because they’ve proved themselves with quality food and quality service and they keep their areas clean and follow all the rules for the health department,” Kling said.

In the end, festival participants must let their appetites judge the vendors and decide which one will be awarded their business, which, as Lesher discovered, is not an easy task.

“There was quite a variety of choices … many different styles of food,” he said.

There was fried rice, fried cheese, fried alligator, funnel cakes, ribbon fries, ribs, sandwich wraps, burritos, gyros, jambalaya and more, including Cajun, Thai and Mexican cuisine.

Kling said that the festival loves having the vendors, because the variety and excellence they provide are qualities the festival strives for in its art and music.

The festival’s vendor selection not only appeases participants, but vendors as well.

Nancy Nowlin, co-owner of Ron’s Concessions, which serves gyros, bratwurst and tenderloin, said she appreciates the work of the festival because it helps eliminate competition among vendors.

“We always get mad when others have better lines, so it’s best not to repeat what others have,” Nowlin said.

Morris Stanley, owner of Po Mo’s Ribs, agrees.

“The tenants have been good. It has been a good show,” he said. “We all come with one thing, make the money and go home.”

It is easy for festival participants to forget the tremendous amount of planning that must occur each year for the festival to maintain the variety and quality they strive for.

Festival organizers must be prepared for all participants, whether they come for the art, the music, or the food.

With an average of more than 60,000 people attending the festival each year, the difficulty is obvious, they say.

After all, Kling said, “That’s a lot of fried gator.”