HomeMy WebLinkAbout2017-09-27-TCC-min Town Celebrations Committee
Minutes of Meeting
September 27, 2017
Parker Room, Town Office Building
Members Present
Lorain Marquis, Chair; Glen Bassett, Kim Coburn, Linda Dixon, Carol Flynn, Karen Gaughan, Cerise
Jalelian, Paul Jenkins, Sondra Lucente, Julie Miller, Bill Mix, Henry Murphy, Sandy Podgorski, Sue
Stering
Members Not Present
June Baer, Suzanne Caton, Dick Crogan, Mary Hutton, Linda Levitt, Wayne Miller, Geetha Padaki,
Gina Rada, Dave Taylor, Bob Tracey, Sam Zales
Business
• The Chair declared that a quorum was present.
• The minutes of September 13, 2017 were approved.
• The next meeting will be on October 11, 2017 in the Parker Room, Town Office Building.
• Lorain will bring samples of vinyl name badges for possible committee ordering to the next
meeting.
Veterans Breakfast, Saturday, November 4, 2017
• Karen has found last year's raffle tickets, containing valuable veteran contact information.
• Now that we are no longer charging admission, the Lexington Rotary will contribute up to $750
and the Veterans Services Office will donate another $500 to help cover the costs. The TCC
estimated share of costs is $750.
• Rotary will once again provide volunteers to serve the breakfast. This year they will also
provide high quality plastic plates and cutlery.
• Tickets are printed and ready for distribution, and a flyer has been distributed in key locations.
• A story is planned for the October-November edition of the Colonial Times.
• Glen Bassett will serve as Master of Ceremonies.
• Karen Budnick, Director of the David James Hospice Unit at the Bedford VA, will be the
Keynote Speaker.
• A new Merchant Marine flag will be added to the grouping of service flags.
• Sandy reported that merchants have generously donated close to two dozen great gifts for the
door prize drawings.
• Rotary need to be reminded to watch portion control early on to make sure they don't run out of
food later.
• Kim will bring 3 gallons of orange juice and Sondra will purchase tablecloths and sundries.
• We will ask St. Brigid's to use their sandwich boards in front and back entrances to the parking
lot to advertise the breakfast.
• Setup for the breakfast is scheduled for Friday, November 3 at 3:00 p.m.
Veterans Day, Saturday, November 11, 2017
Parade
• We need to be prepared for low turnout from Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts as this is a long
weekend and several camping trips for troops are planned.
• We will step off at 10:15 a.m. instead of 10:00, with an arrival at Cary Hall at approximately
10:45 a.m., to reduce the long waiting time incurred last year.
• We need to identify and recruit a Grand Marshal for the parade.
Ceremony in Cary Hall
• Glen Bassett will serve as a Master of Ceremonies. We will invite Gresh Lattimore to be Co-
Emcee, since this model worked very well last year.
• Possibly the Lexington Minutemen fife and drum corps could play between 10:45 and 11:00.
• Lorain reported that a subcommittee led by Sue Stering is working with Lexington High School
history teacher Michael Egbert to involve students in the Veterans Day Ceremony. Students
will be encouraged to write about a veteran in their lives who has greatly influenced them. This
exercise will help the student gain an appreciation for their veteran's military service,what it
means to be a veteran, and the contributions the military has made to our nation's well being.
Some of these students, and their stories, will be the main program element of the ceremony.
• At Michael Egbert's request, we are assembling a panel of veterans from diverse war eras who
will speak to a student assembly at LHS a few days before Veterans Day, to help students
understand firsthand the meaning and importance of Veterans Day.
Other Reports
Dance Around the World: New tentative date is March 3, 2018.
Patriots Weekend: Sandy Podgorski is contacting military performing units such as the Old Guard, to
explore their availability to perform on the Battle Green on Saturday of Patriots Weekend. We will
need to find another banner supplier as our longtime vendor is retiring and closing his business.
Veterans Day 2018: At a follow up meeting with the Historical Society and Minutemen, Lorain
reported that all groups agreed to join forces and sponsor a single event in Cary Hall. The first part of
the program will be a panel of distinguished speakers; the second part will include traditional
ceremonial elements.
Sponsorship Subcommittee: Kim Coburn reported that this subcommittee is generating some great
ideas. They have identified tentative sponsor levels and a range of benefits associated with each level.
The meeting was adjourned at 8:45 p.m.
Respectfully submitted,
Linda Dixon, Acting Secretary
Future Meetings
2017: October 11, October 25; November 1,November 8, November 15, November 29.
2018: January 10, January 24; February 7, February 21; March 7, March 14, March 21, March 28;
April 4, April 11, April 25; May 2, May 16, May 23, June 6.