PLACENTIA

Merchants and city officials may do away with the Old Town Fiesta, an annual celebration that has drawn fewer people over the past two years. City officials say the event, held each spring in historic Placita Santa Fe, has seen a steady drop in attendance and costs too much to put on.

This year’s event drew about half the numbers from last year, they added. But members of the Santa Fe Merchants Assn. say there’s hope for the festival. They hope the city makes an effort to save it.

Both parties plan to keep discussing the issue. The merchants say they will make a decision in September about what to do with the event.