The Festival Collection is comprised mostly of a body of manuscripts including correspondence, reports, meeting minutes and internal forms, which all relate in some facet to the workings of the Festival from 1964 to 1994. Early documentation, 1965-1970, allows for a glimpse of the origin of the presently flourishing arts festival. Later documentation, 1980-1991, gives insight into the committee structure of the arts festival and specific information and suggestions for further improvement in the specified committee area — showing how changes in the structure occurred. However, there is a lack of records for many of the early years after 1970. 1972-1975 leaves much to be desired in the way of documentation, as much of the collection focuses on the 1980s and there is a great deal of documentation for food booths in these years.

Outside of the internal structure, the complaints and compliments, 1965-1991, give the impression of the community’s responses to the arts festival and reflect some artists’ and performers’ frustration with the committee structure’s limitations or refusal to include certain artists, performers and food booth applicants.

Other materials in the collection supply a tactile and visual element to the documented information. Photographs offer an impression of the look of the performances such as dancing and musical performance, activities such as the children’s area Paint-in and Glue-in, and of the arts festival overall with aerial photographs. Further, the programs show how the arts festival attendees were guided through the annual events, and offer a record of performances, food booths, art works, layout and underwriters. Finally, newspaper articles offer information pertinent to Festival growth and operation.