The 42nd Fort Wayne Newspapers Three Rivers Festival kicked off on Friday. Recently, the popular festival has faced financial and management challenges. Just weeks ago, Jack Hammer took over as interim director to ensure the festival could go on as planned. He spoke with editorial writer Stacey Stumpf about the festival.

Here are excerpts of the interview; listen to the entire interview by going to The Journal Gazette’s home page at www.journa1gazette.net. Click “opinion,” then click “5 Questions for Jack Hammer.”

1 Did your work on the festival’s entertainment committee give you any ideas for changes you wanted to make when you took over as director?

With just entertainment (experience), being able to jump in and think I could change something coming in 30 days before the festival, I would probably be mistaken.

2 Is there anything new at the festival this year?

One of the biggest things I’m excited about is that every show that we have is all ages. And with it being all ages, with a paid parent admission, kids 12 and under are free. I understand as a parent how hard it is these days to go out and want to take your kids with us to something we want at the very least to make sure it’s family friendly. The first thing we are is a community festival, so we wanted to make sure these acts are family-friendly, and we also want to make sure that they are affordable to families.

3 What’s your favorite festival event?

I’ve been involved in the parade for so many years. I think every year of my broadcasting career – which was over 20 years – I’ve been involved with the parade. I think it was my first parade that I was getting ready to be in – besides marching in it with the Northrop High School band and those things – and I was getting ready to leave. My wife was pregnant for our second daughter, and I went in the bathroom and she said, “My water has broke.” And I said, “but I’m leaving to do the festival parade. …” That was one parade I missed.

4 Do you think the challenges the festival has faced will affect attendance?

I think around the first of the year when the executive director left and there were some board shakeups – first, addressing the board stuff, those were things that probably should have been addressed in the boardroom rather than on TV. And I’m sure those people looking back at the situation might have done it differently. I can’t speak for them, but I would hope so. I think that did create an air of, “Well, what’s happening? Is this (festival) going to happen?” It’s a very beloved thing. I think that it may have some effect, but I hope that us coming on strong with our advertising, with all the interviews and TV that I’ve done, what people can see is the festival is alive and well.

5 You’ve had a chance to experience the long hours on the job in the weeks leading up to the festival and during the festival. Do you still want the job permanently?

Being a person that has spent so much time putting together events and running events and planning them over the years, whether it was the bicentennial, large outdoor concerts or regular run-of-the-mill concerts, special events that I’ve done for radio – I kind of thrive on that.

You know that feeling when you go over a hill in your car that is in the pit of your stomach? I’ve had that permanently. But, I do want the job, and if offered to me I will take it. I’ve been a cheerleader for Fort Wayne for all the time that I’ve been here.