HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-09-10-TCC-minTOWN CELEBRATIONS COMMITTEE
MINUTES (virtual)
September 10, 2025
Full Committee Members Present (13 members; ?#vacancies):
QUORUM: 7 full members
David Grabel, Co-chair
Sudha Balasuryan, Co-chair
Cerise Jalelian
Lorain Marquis
Susan Stering
Sandy Podgorski
E. Ashley Rooney (and Ashley notetaker icon)
Linda Dixon @ 7: 1Opm
Mary Hutton @ 7: l Opm
Absent Honorary: Robert Tracey
Subcommittee Members Present (10 members, ? vacancies):
Elizabeth Elsie Xu
Simon Rubenstein
Sharon Spaulding
Pam Winters
Bonnie Karshbaum @ 7:27pm
Absent:
Brianna Bennett-Karshbaum (sub)
Hong Xie (sub)
Sondra Lucente (full)
Bill Kelm (sub)
Seema Badaya (sub)
Jamie Lee (sub)
Karen Tyler, Veterans Liaison
Geetha Padaki (full)
Glen Bassett (last day September 30, 2025)(full)
Guests: Douglas Lucente, liaison to the Select Board
7:00 PM: per the Meeting Agenda, Sudha called the meeting to order and recited the zoom introduction
and then passed meeting to Dave Grabel. Dave welcome everyone to the first meeting for the new board
and invited suggestions to keep us on track and welcomed new members and outlined the format for roll
call voting (full committee members) versus non voting members. He encouraged sub -committee
members to participate in consent voting process. David Grabel expressed appreciation to Geetha Padaki
for the TCC summer social on September 4, 2025 which was very successful.
7:12 PM: Minutes of June 11, 2025 submitted by Gresh Lattimore, Secretary through June, 2025, were
approved unanimously with modifications resubmitted by Linda Dixon.
VETERANS DAY EVENT:
Presenter: Lorain Marquis
Veterans Day planning sub -group is working on:
Breakfast on November 1, 2025 at Knights of Columbus Hall.
Ceremonies and Essay Contest is underway.
Neillios is catering.
LHS Marching Band will be invited to the breakfast
The slide show is a big part of the breakfast.
Sue will ask Minuteman Tech to prepare posters. Two will be chosen to be framed and two veterans with
winning tickets from a drawing will receive the posters..
They are in process of working out details.
Antique Car Rally (non -rolling) on November 11, 2025 at Church of Our Redeemer parking lot.
Maybe a short ceremony at the church hall.
Details are still being worked on.
Jamie Lee is organizing this event.
Simon had a suggestion to line up the cars around the Battle Green (the "Common")
Lorain said that we will have William Diamond Fife & Drum
NOTES:
Volunteers are needed for both events including someone to write the invitations by email letter.
Elsie volunteered to help Sudha and Lorain prepare the invitation letter.
Question as to the role of the Lexington Minute Men for the breakfast or car rally.
CAAL has a monthly e -newsletter which can publicize the events.
Doug Lucente inquired about any other events on Veterans Day and confirmed when the speakers may be
called upon to attend and recognize the veterans.
The committee is considering having everything on one day in 2026.
PATRIOTS DAY PLANNING
Cerise is the parade coordinator and expressed concerns for safety and organizing the event.
TCC is submitting a report to the Select Board to express our interests in 2026 events, including the
Youth Parade and the Afternoon Parade. Dave asked Doug to express the townwide concerns. First and
foremost is the financial costs to the town, with all the stakeholders and moving parts. Crowds on a
Saturday would drive costs in a different direction. Safety is the concern no matter what day. It will be
more expensive on a Saturday to handle crowds and logistics to handle more people. Staff meetings today
at town level and the finance staff are still trying to close the year for FY 2025. The town is hoping to
have the decision at the October 6, 2025 select board meeting. Another factor is the economic boost. We
discussed whether having the Youth Parade on another day might confuse factors given the ceremonies.
There will be more expenses and no funding source. Question whether to do the Patriotic Picnic again?
Paul Revere's Lancers.
Doug responded to many questions from the TCC, including whether to bring back the Tower Park
Reenactment so it does not compete with the Natonal Park events, and that Saturday costs more than
Monday Considerations include costs of having microphones and jumbotrons, logistics for inviting
similar large crowds, parking, buses and incremental costs that must be considered. Doug reported that
Concord has decided to have their events on Monday. Questions were raised about information as to
economic benefits offices from offices of tourism and economic development. Linda encouraged that we
should not be afraid to spend the money.
Doug delicately balanced the pros and cons of the finances depending on which day we celebrate and
measuring the costs vs. maximizing the number of people who could participate. Three jumbotrons and
mics were about $105,000.00. The town is looking at ways to be conservative with money. Inquiry is
made about possibly having private citizens finance the costs which weighed the possibility of privatizing
the event.
Dave posted and went through each bullet point of the draft TCC position statement for submission to the
Select Board. Comments were contributed by members, including a suggestion of adding the
Naturalization Ceremonies following the youth parade on Monday. At 8:19PM a unanimous vote was
approved to submit the position statement with minor adjustments consistent with the dialogue at the
meeting.
LEX250 VOLUNTEER LIGHTING OF THE ARCH (Doug)
Friday, September 12, 2025 @ 6:30-7:30pm.
BOARD and COMMITTEE BOOTCAMP (Doug)
Saturday, 8AM October 4, 2025
At Battin Hall, Cary Hall
Town is hosting a bootcamp for committee members.
Doug reminded everyone to try to attend.
OTHER TCC EVENTS NOT DISCUSSED TONIGHT:
DANCE AROUND THE WORLD will be in 2027
MEMORIAL DAY PLANNING starts in Jan -Feb to get bands and speakers lined up.
OTHER BUSINESS:
Meeting cadence: Every other week until March; every week until Patriots Day
Dates listed on the Agenda which Dave circulated by email.
ADJOURNMENT
8:24PM: Meeting Adjourned by unanimous vote.
NEXT MEETING: September 24, 2025
Respectfully submitted on September 10, 2025
Cerise Jalelian, Secretary Ad Hoc
September, October, November 2025