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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2024-04-03-TCC-min Town Celebrations Committee Minutes of Meeting April 3, 2024 By Zoom Teleconference Members Present: Geetha Padaki, Co-Chair; Steve Cole, Linda Dixon, Yifang Gong, Dave Grabel, Cerise Jalelian, Bonnie Karshbaum, Sondra Lucente, Sandy Podgorski, Ashley Rooney, Sue Stering, Pam Winters, Hong Xie Members not Present Glen Bassett, Sudha Balasuryan, Kevin Collins, Dabby Harter, Mary Hutton, Lorain Marquis, Julie Miller Business • Meeting called to order by Geetha Padaki at 7:02 pm • The Minutes of March 27 were approved with minor corrections Patriots' Day Detailed Planning • Youth Parade- Bonnie - Has made many calls to VIP invitation list, followed up with any who showed interest. - Online signup extended to April 10. - Lions Club will provide 1 or 2 vehicles plus their Big Lion float vehicle. Parade vehicles will stay on the street and merge with marchers. Once parade steps off, no vehicles will be permitted to park in this area for the rest of the morning. - In spite of low response, Bonnie is still enthusiastic,just would start earlier. - Linda will reinvite Pastor Bronico to Youth Parade and also invite youth from his church • Ceremony—Linda-Nothing new to report. • Hats for New Members —Cerise: new members can get tricorne hats at Michelson's • VIP Tickets - Cerise reports not a huge response yet; still has tickets left. Michelle Ciccolo bringing a State House contingent. • Parade—Dave and Sondra -Still need help at Registration Desk. Dick Crogan, former member, has offered. Ashley and Geetha will be there as well. -Dave: everything will be on a smart phone so the parade list, etc. can be transmitted paperless to folks downtown. -Sondra and Sue have made many calls, for vehicles, media forms (100% collected), all W9s, missing just a handful of vehicle info. -Dave reported that all media forms are on a google doc in alpha order for Linda to use in preparing script for Sharon Spaulding, our parade announcer. -Confirmed 89 units as of present date. Raney Aronson-Rath still iffy. -Assigned golf cart drivers: Geetha, Glen, Lorain, Hong, Sandy, Cerise, Yifang, Dave -Linda requested cart for second judge. Dave will ask. -Cerise has prepared golf cart instructions. Dave suggested they be adopted, with slight edit from Linda(instructions attached to these minutes). • Stake Laying -Linda offered to work with Dave at stake laying, has experience -Group agreed that Friday April 12 was the best time to lay out stakes. DPW scheduled to drive stakes in on Saturday, but Linda suggests do everything together on Friday. Dave will follow up. • Parking - Cerise will have parking passes for committee members. • Phone List—Cerise will prepare a committee phone list for parade day. • Parade float winner checks: Lorain will ask Jerry Michelson, Chair of Retailers Assn. to dispense checks and arrange pickup. • Caution Notice re Rotary: Cerise feels strongly that uneven surface near rotary is a possible safety hazard. Has prepared a written caution notice to hand out to all unit leaders at registration desk. Dave will send a letter to contact person for every unit. • Sponsors: Linda reported that all late sponsors have come through, along with some surprise extra response. Very good performance! • Parade Ambassadors: According to Yifang, we are about 2/3 of the way to our target. Memorial Day Planning • Geetha and Linda met for knowledge sharing. The first working group meeting will be scheduled soon. • We need a rain plan. Ashley suggests Church of our Redeemer and will check it out. • We'll work toward creating a planning template Lex250 • Friday April 19 at noon a press ceremony will start the calendar countdown at Cary Hall. Press, government officials, celebrities invited. • On July 13, Cpt John Parker's birthday, there will be another kickoff celebration with bands and cake. Looking for teenage volunteer support (Never Fading Poppy Project?) • Sue suggested the possibility of a flyover by aircraft from Hanscom AFB. The meeting adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Next meeting.April 10, 2024. Respectfully submitted, Linda J. Dixon, Member KEY PARADE POSITIONS 3.20.24 @ Float Judges and 2 Golf Carts with drivers Check-in Desk at Parade Registration Table, Old Library Lyceum, at 12:30 p.m. @ Registration Table @ old library Lyceum (3 people) for unit leaders to check in and provide sign-in lists (0) to parade leader @ front of parade no later than 1:45pm @ Ambassador coordinator @ East Lexington Fire House @ Banner coordinator @ East Lexington Fire House @ Parade leader takes the lists up to Media and Review Stand for announcements of units @ Maple and Mass Ave: Start of parade to check off units as they step off and ensure in order. @ Rotary "split here" signage (multiple people) @ End of parade @ Worthen and Mass Ave to check off units and say thank you as they finish. @ End of parade @ Worthen Road multiple people to direct all units to pool parking lot. "Do Not Stop" signage GOLF CART DRIVER RESPONSIBILITIES [SAFETY FIRST!] Rev (3.20.24) 1. Golf Cart drivers are responsible for managing units assigned, which will be a consecutive group of approximately 20 units. This means: You will speak with each unit leader before the parade steps off and they know you. Check off your units as they show up in their staging area. Bring a clipboard with a list of all parade units. Highlight your units so you know who you are managing. Make sure that all units are at their designated stake number. If a unit shows up at the wrong stake number, make sure that they have checked-in. Then you must send the unit to the correct stake number. Units will not be allowed to step off out of order. Do not allow a rogue unit to jump in mid-parade. 2. Golf Cart drivers help to keep parade moving forward. Stay with your section. a. You are next to each individual unit as they are stepping off to ensure that they are in the right order and spacing. Once that unit is moving/marching, then you move quickly to the next unit to guide them into the parade, so on, and so forth. This is critical to ensure that parade starts smoothly and prevent Zaps. b. You drive with the units (forward and back from start to end of parade). c. You make sure that units are proceeding forward and safely along the parade route. No stopping and no circling back and forth. d. You go to the front of your group before the Battle Green to ensure that units split before the rotary area. Units that are wider than 4 persons across must split before the dividers before rotary on Bedford Street. Half of the marchers should go to the left and proceed clockwise around the rotary. The rest of the marchers and all vehicles should stay right and proceed counter- clockwise around the rotary. They will reconnect after they turn onto Harrington Road and clear the divider. e. You stay at the front of your group until the end of the parade and make sure NO ONE STOPS until they get to the pool parking lot. Hand out water, if requested, Call for help if there is an injury or emergency. REFER TO YOUR TCC CALL LIST.