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Home My WebLink About2025-10-08-TCC-min TOWN CELEBRATIONS COMMITTEE MINUTES (virtual) October 8,2025 APPROVED on October 22, 2025 Full Committee Members Present: 10 We have 11 full members and 1 vacancy-total 12 full members QUORUM: 7 full members David Grabel, Co-chair Sudha Balasuryan, Co-chair Cerise Jalelian Lorain Marquis Susan Stering Sandy Podgorski E. Ashley Rooney notetaker Linda Dixon Sondra Lucente Mary Hutton(full) Absent Honorary: Robert Tracey Vacancy: lx Subcommittee Members Present: 9 We have 10 members and 5 vacancies=total 15 sub-committee members Elizabeth Elsie Xu Simon Rubenstein Sharon Spaulding Pam Winters Bill Kelm notetaker Hong Xie Seema Badaya notetaker Jamie Lee (sub) Bonnie Karshbaum (sub)(arrived at 7:30PM) Vacancy: 5x Absent: Brianna Bennett-Karshbaum (sub) Karen Tyler,Veterans Liaison Geetha Padaki(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, established a quorum and pulled up the Minutes of September 24, 2025, as revised through 10.8.25. Jamie and Sharon submitted comments and Cerise updated the minutes with comments. Lorain moved to approve and Linda seconded the motion. Votes were unanimously approved by voice vote. Dave instructed Cerise to finalize and send the minutes to Sudha to send to the town. VETERANS DAY EVENT: Presenter: Lorain Marquis Veterans Day planning sub-group is working on: November 1, 2025 at Knights of Columbus Hall. Lorain asked for, and various members volunteered to help set up the hall on 10.31.25. She went through details, such as name tags,pens,podium,table cloths, flags and Neillios supplies. Dave has the registration list. Linda added clergy association has a monthly meeting in a few days. They will select among themselves for a clergy person to attend our event. Sue let us know not to have a jar for the framed picture this year. Dave sent invitations to veterans and dignitaries lists. Dave asked who is the contact to get the Hanscom list. Mike Tymm will do the photography. Lorain will make sure that all volunteers will have a job at the breakfast. Linda interviewed and wrote up a story about Mike Egbert at LHS,the mastermind behind the essay program,to do a feature story for the Lex Times. Dave asked Sandy about publicizing the breakfast and car rally into the newspaper. Lorain will bring up all tasks at the next working group meeting. Lorain will also order name tags for anyone needing a TCC nametag. Sue Stering discussed essays will be due on October 14,2025. Michael Egbert will share the essays and TCC will read and judge the essays for printing. There will be no contest for the pictures this year. This will save TCC money. Linda explained that essays are on the template and nothing new to report. Linda will prepare the ceremony with about thirty minutes of introductions,posting color,national anthem before serving the breakfast. 1.5 hours later start the ceremony after the Hanscom person arrives. Benediction and God Bless America. Pam researched the 50t'anniversary items such as lapel pins. Since there is a federal government shutdown,there is nothing to report but Pam spoke with people at the state level and will let us know if anything happens with that. Antique Car Rally(non-rolling) on November 11, 2025 at Church of Our Redeemer parking lot. Dave Grabel presented: Town has signed contract with Church of Redeemer and we have a memo of understanding.We have to agree on method of payment. Dave has reached out to car groups but only 1 has replied so far.No luck with VA Hospital corvettes yet.We need cars from Tommy. Sue to follow up. Dave will reach out to Michelle Ciccolo for her father's automotive group to provide cars and to Lexington Toyota. Simon reported that the Lex Minutemen will attend the breakfast;William Diamond Fife &Drum will attend the car rally. Bonnie K. offered assistance from the Scouts. Boy Scouts will come to the breakfast; Girl Scouts will help with the rally as color guard with flags. Linda explained about presenting a poster to Nathan Norris,VA Hospital Librarian and to add a plaque to the poster. Lorain wants to ask for contributions of coffee and donuts. PATRIOTS DAY PLANNING Select Board voted unanimously to hold the major events on Saturday April 18, 2026. Budget constraints will guide next steps. Doug took the lead and suggested next steps to set a program to decide on timing to avoid conflicts. Prepare an early draft of the schedule before outreach. Kathy Severance will help us with the stakeholder meeting. We should look at 21 events and times should be established with LMM,Historical Museums,Road race. Cerise and Doug to meet on Friday to make a plan. Parade piece to get applications out; TCC fundraising will be ready to go. Dave confirmed that we will draft a schedule and get input from groups to use as the roadmap for the stakeholders meeting. Dave will direct Cerise to Julie Flood to initiate the parade applications. TCC FINANCIAL UPDATE Dave shared online and will circulate a full financial overview for TCC from Lorain based on reports from the town. Lorain reviewed the post orally. Dave will provide the update in writing to attach to these minutes. The schedule includes event funds and gift account including sponsorships. Kim Katzenback manages the finances and was not clear about expenses which TCC was responsible for and held back $6K for TCC expenses to pay bills from the town account to leave a larger balance in the gift account. ANY OTHER BUSINESS: 1. Linda asked Dave to talk about the Town Boot Camp. Dave provided a brief summary of the agenda items including the open meeting law;He will add the bootcamp as an agenda item for another meeting after town shares the slides to share highlights from the meeting. Over 100 committee members attended. Lorain added that Linda was a panelist and did a fabulous job as a presenter. 2. Dave asked for consensus of having a policy not holding meetings on religious holidays.We have the policy for TCC but not for working groups. Dave will provide a list of holidays to avoid working group public meetings. 3, David received an invitation to the Diwali celebration on November 9. It is open to the entire community. They invited TCC to submit a brief video to submit for the presentation at the ceremony. We will set up a time to record a greeting to submit to the event. ADJOURNMENT 8:16 PM: Meeting Adjourned by unanimous vote by hand after motion by Lorain and seconded by Linda. NEXT MEETING: October 22, 2025 (proposed by secretary after meeting adjourned) Respectfully submitted on October 8, 2025 Cerise Jalelian, Secretary Ad Hoc September, October,November Meetings 2025