With the 16th annual Saline Celtic Festival set to take place Saturday, committee members are hoping good weather will bolster an event narrowly approved this year by city officials.

Earlier this year, several members of the Saline City Council expressed concerns about the viability of the annual festival. They ultimately approved it 4-3, and waived about $5,500 in city fees for police and public works services.

Councilman Dean Girbach said at the time that the city had contributed about $125,000 in services to the event during the last five years, about $25,000 each year.

At the March council meeting, the committee offered up a 2011 budget that showed an estimated $81,176 in revenues and about $77,570 in expenses.

It was suggested then that the City Council discuss the future of the event in October when all of the expenses and revenues had been calculated. The festival celebrates Saline’s sister city relationship with Brecon, Wales, and showcases Celtic music, dancing and athletics.

“In the last 15 years, 11 of the festivals have been profitable and the four that weren’t” suffered from bad weather, said Bob Rash, the chairman of the Celtic Festival.

The festival had bad weather for several years in a row and showed an approximately $15,800 loss in 2007 and an estimated $18,000 loss in 2008 before turning a $19,700 profit in 2009, and a $3,600 profit in 2010, according to a four-year history of the event.

Rash said that though the committee was shocked by the City Council’s discussion of canceling the event, committee members met and regrouped. They looked at the situation as a challenge and say they've improved communications with the city.

“The volunteers and chairpeople have taken the challenge to make this the best festival ever,” said Rash.

He said a foundation called The Friends of the Celtic Festival was formed, which has 501c3 status. The group has looked for ways to increase visibility for the event without raising ticket prices.

“In the last 30 days, the word Saline has been picked up 3,000 times in the press in conjunction with news about the festival,” Rash said.

After scaling back efforts last year and eliminating the Highland Games, the popular competition is back this year. Organizers have added a 5K run, which Rash hopes will help to increase revenues. In addition, the committee has erected signs featuring sponsors’ names along Michigan Avenue where about 30,000 cars travel daily.

“We’re being more aggressive in our fundraising and providing a better return on investment for our sponsors,” he said.

He says sponsorship, despite the economy, is up, with 25 sponsors who have contributed either financially or with in-kind donations. However, until all the expenses and profits are sorted out, he did not want to provide figures.

“We’ll balance the books once it’s over,” he said.

The group has made a push with a website, a Facebook page and media blasts to get the word out.

The festival is put on by a 7-member executive committee, 31 chairpersons and more than 300 volunteers, with support from city staff including the police department and the Department of Public Works.

“When it’s nice weather,” Rash said, “it turns into a nice festival. I’m hoping for low 80s, a nice breeze, and not a cloud in the sky."

Lisa Allmendinger is a regional reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com. For more Saline stories, visit our Saline page.