HomeMy WebLinkAbout2026-10-07-TCC-minTOWN CELEBRATIONS COMMITTEE
MINUTES OF MEETING
October 7, 2026, via Zoom Teleconference
Full Committee Members Present (11) (quorum -7)
David Grabel and Sudha Balasuryan, Co -Chairs; Cerise Jalelian,
Linda Dixon, Sondra Lucente, Lorain Marquis, Mary Hutton,
Sue Stering, Pam Winters, Bonnie Karshbaum & Sandy
Podgorski
Full Committee Members Absent: (1) Ashley Rooney
Subcommittee Members Present: (3) Barry Cunha, Hong Xie &
Raja Daggumalli
Subcommittee Members Absent: (9) Sub Datta, Brianna
Karshbaum, Sam Ang, Simon Rubenstein, Jamie Lee, Elizabeth
Hsu, Guy Jarvis, Bill Keim & Sharon Spaulding
Guests:
Doug Lucente, Select Board
Matthew Arrell, Town Transportation
Mike Tymm
MEETING OPENED
Co -Chair Sudha Balasuryan officially opened the meeting at
7:00 PM and recited the Zoom introduction and instructions.
The committee reviewed the minutes from the previous meeting
taken by Lorain Marquis. The minutes were moved for
acceptance by Linda Dixon and seconded by Sondra Lucente.
Member Introductions: To help members get to know one
another, future meetings will dedicate up to 1 0 minutes for
optional 2 -minute personal introductions.
Event Planning:
A Veterans working group will meet on Tuesday, October 1 3th
Our 2nd Patriots Day meeting met on Tuesday, October 6th.
Veterans Day
Cerise reported that outreach has been conducted with the
scouts, police department, and high school music department
regarding timing and guidelines. The committee discussed
several logistics:
• Food Vendor: A decision on the food contract is still
pending and requires offline follow-up between Sudha and
Simon.
• Donation Drive: Since the town prohibits committees from
holding donation drives, the Rotary Club will host a drive
on Valentine's Day. However, Linda suggested the
Lexington Veterans Association could instead collect
donations during their November meeting to assist
veterans.
• Program Logistics: Linda announced that Elsie will take
over writing the program script to help train younger
members.
• Portraits: There was discussion regarding last year's delays
in distributing veteran portraits. To prevent future issues,
the committee needs to ensure an end-to-end coordinator
works with Michael (photography) and potentially Else
(editing).
• Printing: Sue provided quotes for printed materials,
including a perfect bound booklet for 66 copies at $412 and
a thermo tape bound book for $346.50.
Patriots Day
The working group is preparing for the upcoming season with
several key updates:
• Parade Schedule: Due to a lack of youth participation in
the morning, the committee is proposing moving the
ceremonies to Cary Hall on Sunday, April 18th at 7 p.m.
This would include a revived youth parade and a senior
flash mob.
• Lions Club Concerns: Doug noted that the Lions Club
prefers maintaining the traditional Monday morning
schedule on the green. There is a potential conflict
regarding the added expense and logistical pressure of a
Sunday event.
• Logistics: The committee is updating the website and the
JOT form for parade applications, which will be live from
November 1st through January 31st.
• Capacity: The bleacher capacity is confirmed at 350 seats,
requiring updated ticketing management.
Questions remain regarding whether the Select Board will
approve the Sunday ceremony shift and how to resolve the
tension between the proposed Sunday schedule and the
traditional Monday morning activities preferred by the Lions
Club.
Motion to adjourn, 7:45 PM
Next full TCC Meeting
October 21, 2026, at 7:00 PM via Zoom.
Submitted by Lorain
TCC Full Committee Member