Greenville residents are brainstorming exit strategies for the town's fiscal crisis.

Proposals range from fundraisers, flea markets and cookbook sales to a possible multi-million dollar sale of the local water plant and other assets and an annual town festival that could attract as many as 20,000 people and some of the biggest names in show business.

A country music star like Tim McGraw, for instance, could help lift the borough out of its fiscal hole, according to the man behind the festival plan.

"It is essential to get big names to attract an out-of-area crowd," said resident Shawn Knauf, who runs Kimmy's bar in downtown Greenville and said he has contacts in the entertainment industry.

Some of the ideas were discussed Tuesday at a meeting of the Greenville Preservation Association, a resident group that formed after the town's fiscal woes surfaced early this year. Several dozen people attended the meeting, according to group spokeswoman Lorrie Smith.

One of the ideas some people might find intriguing is a Greenville-based entertainment festival, centered on musical acts and around the town's annual Fourth of July fireworks display.

"There is potential for serious money," Knauf said of the proposal.

Knauf said a show -- possibly called the River Park Festival -- could be set up for this summer, though it would be a smaller event than ones he has envisioned for the future.

"We don't have time to set up something that elaborate this year," he said.

Knauf -- who said his entertainment agent has already contacted some musical acts and potential sponsors about the idea -- said he could attract 5,000 people to the festival in the first year. If word of mouth is good, he said, those numbers would multiply in coming years.

When asked what types of acts he would like to attract, Knauf rattled off a who's who of each musical genre, from country and classic rock to R&B and reggae, as well as guest comedians and NASCAR stars. Local acts could open for the big names, and local fund-raising efforts could set up stands at the festival, he said.

A more buttoned-down approach to solving the town's fiscal woes is selling borough assets.

Dick Miller, a Greenville Municipal Authority member, said the borough plans to interview two lawyers today who have expressed interest in playing a role in selling the town's water plant. Miller has been trying to rally support for the idea to sell the plant among other authority board members. .

Miller said the deal could be finalized in 6 to 12 months. "It does not appear that we can stay out of Act 47 now," Miller said, referring to a state program for financially distressed communities. He said the borough needs money right now.

Miller said the authority also plans this afternoon to consider hiring a real estate agent to market 190 acres on Hadley Road in Hempfield Township. By dividing the land for commercial and residential use, Miller said, the land could generate as much as $2 million or more.

The authority, Miller said, also plans to hold an executive session this afternoon over authority management contracts. "We want to encourage them to stay," Miller said.