HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-03-05-TCC-minTown Celebrations Committee
Virtual Meeting MINUTES
March 5, 2025
Members Present (12 members; no vacancy): Glen Bassett,
co-chair; Linda Dixon, Yifang Gong; Dave Grabel, Mary
Hutton, Cerise Jalelian; Gresh Lattimore, Lorain Marquis;
Sandy Podgorski; Geetha Padaki, co-chair: Sue Stering.
Absent: Sondra Lucente, Karen Tyler, Veterans Liaison.
Honorary. Bob Tracy. Quorum: 7 Full Members.
Subcommittee Members Present (15 members; 5 vacancies):
Sudha Balasuryan, Bonnie Karshbaum, Brianna Karshbaum,
Jamie Lee, Ashley Rooney, Pam Winters, Hong Xie. Absent:
Steve Cole, Perla Walling-Sotoland, Mirela Vaso, Huma
Wassim.
Guests: Terry Samaras, LexMedia production manager.
7:02 P: Geetha called the meeting to order and explained the
video format. Glen then presided over the meeting.
7:06 PM: The Minutes for the February 19 meeting were
tabled until the next meeting.
Meeting Overview: Members discussed various aspects of
organizing the parade, including volunteer recruitment,
communication, and logistics, with a focus on ensuring smooth
operations and safety. They also discussed the Dance Around
the World event (March 8) and the Memorial Day (May 26)
ceremonies, with potential involvement from the clergy and the
Lexington Graphics team. Lastly, they discussed coordinating
the dance groups' performances along Mass Ave and will
confirm the use of the area with the Police.
Parade Logistics
- Lorain planned to send out a reminder letter to those who
have been in the parade before. $34,850 sponsorship fees
have been raised, assuring that the $35,000 goal will be met,
perhaps exceeded. A sponsorship banner was discussed, with
a potential location at the side of the Visitor Center or near
the big American flag. Ashley suggested placing it at the
library, which was agreed to be a possibility. Ashley
mentioned a representative from the library, Director Koren
Stembridge, who was present at the stakeholders meeting and
should be contacted.
- At the Lex250 committe meeting it was announced that NBC,
channel 10, will be present at the parade from 2pm till 4pm.
Anchor Jeff Saperstone will preside. Cerise also announced
two event clarifications:
April 17: Cary Awards Ceremony is from 7 - 8:30 pm with
LHS band playing from 5:30 - 6:45.
April 21: Picnic will be held from noon to 2 pm at Hastings
Park.
- David mentioned an update on the website. Omar's World of
Comics $5,000 contribution qualifies as the second Titanium
Donor, but since only one Titanium Donor has been
allocated, perhaps two Platinum Donors would be acceptable.
Discussions are on-going. He discussed working with the
Army National Guard for Blackhawk helicopters or possibly
a KC -30 refueling plane. He also discussed car information
and credentialing, with plans to meet with the police to
discuss logistics. The parade parking for participants was
discussed, with a potential solution being parking at the
Harrington School and the Community Center, with buses to
the parade from each. A preliminary communication was sent
out about the performances in the Center. The organizers are
emphasizing to participants that they should not stop during
the parade to keep it moving smoothly. They have secured an
announcer, Sharon Spalding, and are preparing information
for her to use during the event. The lineup has been tweaked
slightly, with some groups dropping out and others being
repositioned. They are actively working on coordinating
dance groups and securing mascots, with a possible focus on
Pat the Patriot. Volunteer recruitment is underway, with a
need for unit coordinators and parade closing coordinators.
Fluorescent vests will be provided for volunteers to ensure
visibility and safety.
- Ashley agreed to publicize the event on Facebook. Six
ambassadors have signed up so far, and Linda suggests
setting up email notifications for new sign-ups. David
mentions that four iPads with cellular connectivity will be
used for electronic registration at multiple sites. The group
also discusses logistics for the end of the parade, including
bus arrangements and potential issues with numbering
systems. Town Committee members are expected to take on
leadership roles during the event, rather than signing up as
general volunteers.
- David discussed the challenging long hours of working at a
4:30 AM reenactment through the parade's ending in late
afternoon. He asking members to plan their day accordingly.
Sandy shared her observations about the upcoming
stakeholders meeting, highlighting the use of three
Jumbotrons for better crowd visibility.
- Sudha then outlined the plans for the Dance Around the
World event, including the program of events, the
performance groups, and the arrangement for complimentary
snacks. Professional photographs of the dance groups will be
held at the police station parking lot.
- Cerise announced the award ceremonies will be at Cary Hall
as well as the LHS orchestra flash mob performance.
- Linda proposed reaching out to their Lexington clergy person
to potentially add them to the ceremony. Cerise decided to
send a message to the Lex250 committee to ask about this.
Cerise will get back to Linda about this. The group also
discussed the Memorial Day plans, with Jeff Leonard, LHS
band director, having agreed to put together a similar program
as last year, with more rehearsal time for the singers. Bonnie
asked about the estimate from Lexington Graphics, and David
said he would take a look at it.
- Jamie has been tasked with coordinating the dance groups for
the event. The group discusses potential locations for the
performances, settling on two spots along Mass Ave: one in
front of Tower Park and another in front of Fletcher Park.
They aim to have about 150 dancers from four different
groups perform before the parade starts. He will organize a
planning meeting with representatives from the dance groups
to finalize details. The committee needs to confirm the use of
Mass Ave with the police and ensure the dancers clear the
area before the parade begins.
Various To -Do's
• Lorain to send out reminder letters for sponsorship.
• David and Cerise to meet with police on Friday morning to
discuss credentialing and logistics.
• Pam to email Jonas to add Yifang, Sandy, Linda, and Hong to
the email list for ambassador sign-ups.
• Ashley to publicize volunteer sign-ups on Facebook.
• David to review and approve the estimate from Lexington
Graphics for signs and banners.
• Jamie to organize a planning meeting with dance group
representatives to discuss performance locations and logistics.
• Cerise to ask the Lex 250 Committee about adding clergy for
invocation/benediction at the April 17th awards ceremony.
• David to provide Jamie with contact information for dance
groups.
• Glenn to coordinate with Doug about arranging for Sharon
Spalding as the parade announcer.
• Bonnie to proceed with ordering signs and banners once David
approves the estimate and all names are confirmed.
• David to bring up the dance group performance plan with
Police Captain John Mazerill during coming Friday's meeting.
8:17 PM: Meeting adjourned.
Next Meeting: March 12, 2025. (Meeting weekly until April
16)
Respectfully submitted,
Gresh Lattimore, Secretary