Loading...
Minutes 10-23-02MXNUTES OF THE HeritageFest 2002 COMMITTEE MEETING EZELL HESTER CENTER, 1901 N. SEACREST BOULEVARD, BOYNTON BEACH, FLORIDA, October 23, 2002 AT 7:00 P.M. Attendees Staff Angela Girtman, Chairperson Chantelle Brown Brian Edwards Kathy Harris Alvin Jefferson Stephanie Mingo-McKoy Eddie Mitchell Rita Simmons Sandra Watson Frank Ireland, Recreation Superviser Brenton Rolle, Recreation Superviser Todd .lohnson, Athletic Superviser 1. Call to Order Chairperson Girtman called the meeting to order at 7:15 p.m. 2. Attendance A sign-up sheet was circulated to record the attendance and so that minutes could be sent to the attendees. 3. Minutes of October 9, 2002 IVlinutes of this meeting were distributed to the attendees to bring them up to date on the activities of the Committee. Chair Girtman tabled this item because there were not enough members present to approve the minutes. 4. Tntroductions Since there were several new people at this meeting, the group introduced themselves and said a few words about their interest in the HeritgageFest Committee. Mr. Alvin .lefferson stated that he was a member of a church group called The Encouragers that assists children and he was interested in seeing whether he could contribute to the Committee. Meeting Minutes HeritageFest Committee Boynton Beach, Florida October 23, 2002 Mr. Brian Edwards mentioned that he was attending the meeting as a representative of the PATCH (Planned Approach to Community Health) organization, who planned to have an activity at HeritageFest. Chair Girtman expressed a desire to have PATCH participate in a Health Fair at the Festival where they would be able to distribute information of interest to African Americans on health issues like diabetes screening, hypertension, and sickle cell anemia. 5. Status Update by the Chairperson Chair Girtman reiterated that the group's decision had been to find out if the new 102.3 FM radio station would be more cost effective than 99-.1AHS for purposes of promotion. The solicitation letter for corporate sponsors was approved and once letterhead is obtained, the letter will be made available in Ms. DeGraffenreidt's office for pick-up. The vendor fees remain the same as last year: $225 organization, $200 individual, with a $25 discount for early registration. Tnformational booths will have literature that is free of charge to the community and their booths will be separate from the vendor booths. Also, the information booth participants must bring their own tables and chairs and remove them immediately after they are through using them. The Committee decided that the informational booths should be separated from the vendor booths. Also, the people who are bringing information to be distributed must supply their own tables and chairs and remove them when they are finished. A schedule of events was submitted for publication in the FunFare magazine in 3anuary 2003. The Youth Contests and Displays at the Boynton Beach Mall have been confirmed with the Hall Manager. They will probably be in the same place as the previous year. The Oratorical Contest and Spelling Bee will be held at the Hester Center instead of the Mall. The Science Exhibits will be at the Hall. On Sunday, February 23, 2003, there will be a youth choir competition called "The Gospel Explosion." Hr. Mitchell suggested that the Suncoast High School and Lake Worth High School each had gospel choirs and should definitely be asked to participate. Chair Girtman advised that this Committee needed a Chair or Chairs. There will be a carnival at this year's festival on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, in the same place that it was the previous year. The carnival staff is sending 50 posters and pre-sale tickets. The pre-sale tickets are discounted from the admission prices at the gate. Wristbands will be available on Friday evening when they set up and on Sunday 2 Meeting Minutes HeritageFest Committee Boynton Beach, Florida October 23, 2002 afternoon and evening. The pre-sale tickets will be numbered. Committee members who take the pre-sale tickets to sell will be responsible for returning either the tickets or the money to the Committee, who will pass them on to the Carnival representatives. 6. Layout/Vendor Booths The Committee discussed the layout of the events. Chair Girtman noted that last year everything had been on the field in back of the Hester Center. This year, that field will not be available because the baseball team is back from Palm Beach Atlantic. The location of the vendors, the information booths, and the stage need to be determined. Todd Johnson stated that there was a field at the top of the football field but he did not know how much could fit into that area. Chair Girtman hoped to see the event moved closer to Seacrest Boulevard to generate more participation. Mr. Johnson stated that Risk Management would have to make a decision about this. Chair Girtman said that the two options were: 1) the side field where they had held the events the year before last, or 2) in the front. Mr. Johnson noted that when they had an Easter Egg Hunt, they tried to use some areas around the front of the property and Mr. Magazine did not approve, in spite of the fence that exists between it and Seacrest Boulevard. Chair Girtman stated that she and Terry Pereira, Vice Chair, would make appointments to meet with Risk Management and Finance and would report back to the Committee at the next meeting. They will discuss matters of layout and safety. Chair Girtman stated that letters would be sent to the vendors that purchased booth space last year. The placement of the vendors was discussed. Mr. Edwards stated that PATCH would bring in as many agencies as the layout could handle. He noted from the previous minutes that the Committee was thinking of targeting seniors and their health. He thought that these booths and the information booths might need to be near the front. In his experience, people had to work their way back to the food so anything from the entrance to the food was a good place for a vendor. Ms. Chantelle Brown stated that she had been a vendor last year and had one of the first booths but added that none of the vendors did very well. The farther away you got from the front, the less well you did. Various people mentioned that the weather had been a real deterrent to the vendors last year. Ms. McKoy stated that some of the vendors did well on Friday, when the weather was good. Chair Girtman thought that having things near the street would really help to draw people in. Ms. Simmons thought that the entertainment was what really drew people. Also, the advertisement makes a difference. She thought that radio and television was fine but Meeting Minutes HeritageFest Committee Boynton Beach, Florida October 23, 2002 that people needed to go door-to-door and advertise in the local community also. Last year, the band brought everybody in. One person mentioned that the booths were too close together the previous year. Ms. McKoy mentioned that if the events were brought too close to Seacrest, kids would not be paying attention to traffic and it could be a safety issue. Chair Girtman stated that she was not thinking of the parking lot but the grassy area, the tennis court, and whatever else was over there on that side. She thought it would be really nice to have some shade because if it were comfortable, people would stay longer, listen to the music, go get something to eat, and spend more money. Chair Girtman stated that the placement of the activities would depend on what Facilities and Risk Management had to say. 7. Coronation Committee Report - Sandra Watson, Rita Simmons Ms. Watson reported that at the last meeting, the Committee members said they wanted to bring some substance to this event. She distributed copies of a set of proposed guidelines and activities for the Coronation. The intention is to mail out requests for nominees to various churches, schools, and sororities no later than November 8, asking for return no later than November 30. l~n summary, the basic guidelines are: Girls in grades 9-12 Letter of recommendation from community member/school personnel/youth leader concerning community involvement A 150 - 500 word essay on the Coronation Theme Demonstration of a talent The Committee members discussed this at length. The attendees were very pleased with the report and the new requirements for the Coronation, in general. There was some discussion about leaving it open for K-12 and judging in individual age groupings. Ms. Watson stated that it would be difficult to come up with an activity for a group that covered so many age groups. Chair Girtman thought that the more people that were entered the better and that the more people out getting advertising dollars, the more money they would make. She favored that it would be good to change it to 6th grade and up. Ms. Watson stated she had made arrangement for pageant sashes that will say HeritageFest 2003 so that when they go out as a Court, they would stand out as a special group. The Schedule of Events contained in Ms. Watson's presentation 4 Meeting Minutes HeritageFest Committee Boynton Beach, Florida October 23, 2002 represents activities in which the girls should participate as a Court. The dollar amounts next to the activities represent their actual cost. Ms. Watson wanted to contact some of the sororities to see if they wished to sponsor an activity for the Court, and lessen the cost to the Committee. Themes for the Coronation Essays were discussed, using Ms. Watson's list of ideas. Chair Girtman asked everyone to think about this and bring his or her ideas to the next meeting. The girls may either sell $150 in advertisements or pay cash (or part ads and part cash), as long as the total comes to $150. Ms. Watson stated that the $150 would cover the cost of printing the Souvenir Booklet and the events for which they could not get sponsors. Chair Girtman suggested including a Carolyn Sims Humanitarian Award as part of the Coronation event. A list of qualifications would have to be developed to cover this. Letters could be sent to the various organizations so that they could nominate persons and the nominee could be given an award at the Coronation. This would also be a way of honoring Ms. Sims. Mr. Edwards asked if the $50 increase would be a deterrent. Mr. Mitchell thought that the increase was reasonable and would not really present a problem. Ms. HcKoy thought that asking the girls to go out and sell advertising was a great idea and that it would benefit the girls in the long run. Chair Girtman thought that sponsors could be found for the girls that wanted to apply but did not have the money. Mr. Mitchell asked whether all ages would be judged against the same criteria - in the Essay for example. The level of work produced by an elementary girl would not be the same as that produced by a high school girl. He thought that the essays should be judged according to the age group of a particular category of girls. Mr. Mitchell did not want to see elementary, middle, and high school students all mixed up together in one group and judged by the same criteria. Motion Ms. Girtman moved to add 6th, ?th, and 8th grade to the Coronation activity and have a Carolyn Sims Humanitarian Award. Ms. Rita Simmons wanted to have the Coronation open to K-12 as it was in the past. Chair Girtman, not hearing any negative comments about her motion, directed Ms. Watson to proceed and bring more information back to the next meeting. She hoped that Ms. Watson and Ms. Simmons would work together to keep the best of the past and move forward with improvements for the future. She asked if any contact had Meeting Minutes HeritageFest Committee Boynton Beach, Florida October 23, 2002 been made for a place to host the Coronation. Ms. Watson thought that the Woman's Club was a possibility. Chair Girtman stated that she had been given a copy of the contract for the Woman's Club. There is a problem with parking there but since the Senior Center is across the street, she hoped that they could utilize some of their parking. 8. HeritageFest Theme Chair Girtman asked for ideas on this topic. Since them was no comment, she asked that people keep it in mind and bring their ideas to the next meeting when this would be settled. 9. Basketball Tournament Mr. Frank Ireland stated that they wanted to start advertising this as soon as possible and were waiting for letterhead to begin. 11. Entertainment Ms. McKoy asked if any decision had been made about the entertainment. Chair Girtman stated that she had talked with Mary DeGraffenmidt about a good band that they had for the Family Day picnic. She also talked to Teresa Zabik in Special Events about a reggae/island band, Island Heat, for Friday evening. Both bands cost about $600 - $700. Another suggestion was to have a children's talent show on stage after the Parade, like they did two years ago. This could be the Bulldog or Citrus Cove cheerleaders or some other young people from local youth groups. This would bring the parents and the children out. The first part of the afternoon could be youth talent on stage. The band and the D-.1 could come in the late afternoon and evening. She asked for suggestions for an entertainer or a band. She also asked for volunteers to work on the Entertainment Committee. Ms. Simmons asked about the possibility of getting Ruby Baker to perform and Chair Girtman offered to pursue it. Ms. Simmons stated that at the Roots Festival in Delray Beach, they had determined what performers were playing in Miami and Fort Lauderdale at the time, and just asked them to put in a brief appearance at the Roots Festival. This was one way of having a "big-name entertainer" for less money. Ms. McKoy asked if any donations had come in or been solicited yet. Chair Girtman stated that nothing had come in yet. Ms. McKoy suggested sending a letter of solicitation to Mr. Willie Gary. Chair Girtman asked Ms. McKoy about the letterhead but Ms. McKoy stated that it had been in her other system and she no longer had it. 6 Meeting Minutes HeritageFest Committee Boynton Beach, Florida October 23, 2002 12. Other Ms. Watson reported that she had spoken to Pyramid Books about the book signing and they said that they would not be able to get an author free of charge again. The author they provided would depend on the amount of money the Committee wanted to spend. He mentioned he was working on something for Mae Jemison but it would depend on how much the Committee had to spend. :It could cost a few thousand dollars to get Ms. .lemison but she would probably draw quite a large crowd. Ms. Watson asked about a place for the luncheon and Chair Girtman stated that it would probably be the Catalina Club although she did not believe it had been finalized. She had not spoken to Ms. Pereira about it yet. Chair Girtman suggested the possibility of having it at St. John's, a local community place with a nice room and a stage. Mr. Mitchell asked for volunteers for the Education Committee. Last year, the Area Superintendent of Schools had to assist due to a shortage of volunteers. Chair Girtman stated that when the Education Committee first started, they put various events under one "umbrella": Science Fair, Spelling Bee, Oratorical Contest, and Essays. Mr. Steve Waldman is still on the Committee and offered to come to as many meetings as he could. He will continue to work on the Education Committee. The sororities will be doing the Spelling Bee and the Oratorical Contests. Chair Girtman will chair the Science Fair and Steve Waldman and Eddie Mitchell will do the Essays and Art. Mr. Mitchell stated that this was a little bit too much for just two people. Mr. Mitchell stated that it had gotten larger because surrounding cities now want to participate; for example, Boca Raton High School, Florida Atlantic University, and Suncoast High School. The Education Committee was thinking about opening it up to the whole County and had discussed it with Ms. Decker on the School Board. Ms. McKoy asked if letters were going to be sent out to the sororities and fraternities, asking for volunteers. Chair Girtman stated that those letters would be going out soon. Chair Girtman reviewed the Schedule of Activities for the benefit of the new members. Chair Girtman stated that the Committee needed dedicated people, who would commit to attending the meetings. Ms. McKoy stated that her husband was still on the Committee but was very busy with his political campaign, along with Mr. & Mrs. Terry Pereira. 13. Budgets Ms. McKoy asked how much money they had to spend this year. Chair Girtman stated that she had asked for budgets but had not received any yet. it seems that last year 7 Meeting Minutes HeritageFest Committee Boynton Beach, Florida October 23, 2002 the Committee started with about $10K and this year they had about $15K. Chair Girtman stated that they would be asking for donations and contributions and would have more money. Chair Girtman indicated that if a Committee did not submit a budget, there would not be any money budgeted for that Committee's event. The Committee will allocate money from the existing budget at the next meeting. Since there was no further business before the Committee, the meeting was duly adjourned at 8:30 p.m. Respectfully submitted, Susan Collins Recording Secretary (one tape) Cc: Attendees Patricia Credit Teresa & Verryl Ford Ed Harris Patricia LaMothe Veronica Mackey** Pearl Norfus Lena Rahming Charles Robinson Rita Simmons Steve Waldman Fontaine Watkins** Sarah Williams Carolyn & Charles Yeager** **cio Hester Center (102402) Heritage Festival 2003 Coronation Proposed Guidelines and Activities A letter should be mailed out no later than November 8~. Requesting Nominees f~om various organizations (,churches, schools, sororities, etc) Deadline for return November 30th The Requirements are as follows: 1. Girls should be in grades 9,10, 11 or 12a 2. Each girl will be required to write a 250- 500 word essay on the Coronation Theme. 3. Each girl will be required to sell no less than $150.00 in Advertisement for the Coronation Souvenir Booklet. 4. A letter of recommendation from a youth leader, teacher, community leader etc. (Community Involvement) 5. A Talent will be required from each participant. Coronation 2003 Court Activities 1. Coronation Court to participate in the Boynton Xmas Parade (evening attire) 2. Coronation Court to Meet Dec l~t for an ~nformal Tea. Each girl will receive their Court Sash and details of the coming events $15.00. (Paid by the participant) Schedule of Events 1. Jan 17~ Friday 7:00 P.M. (The Kravis Center) Gospel Gala Featuring CeCe Winian $15.00 2. Jan 30th Thursday 8:00P.M. (The Kravis Center) Salia Ni Seydou $25.00 3. Feb 2na Sunday Coronation of Heritage Festival Court (white gown) Fashion Fair Make Over and Gift for each girl $25.00 4. Feb 8ta Saturday The Mildred Walker Youth Recognition Luncheon 5. Feb 22aa Saturday 8:00 P.M. (The Duncan Theatre) Street Sounds $20.00 6. Feb 23~a Sunday 6:00 P.M. (The Kravis Center) The African American Dance Ensemble $12.00 Jan, 11~ 18a ,25a and Feb, 1~ will be the rehearsal for the Coronation Dance Routine Color Me Beautiful Cosmetic product sponsorship Kim Scarborough fax # 703-471-0127 Color Me Beautiful Cosmetic 14900 Conference Center Drive Suite 450 Chantilly Virginia 20151 fax or mail a letter with details and brief History of the Coronation. Include information on the Heritage Fest Give # of participants. ( # can be altered at a later date) use the high end #. A 3 month lead-way is needed for request. Request Product Line Iman Flori Roberts Interface The Heritage Festival Coronation 2003 Program Theme: I take pride in rn_v heritage Essay Topic: I celebrate my beauty and the beauty of my cultm:e with gratitude and love. My faith is my strongest weapon against adversity. I use it well and often. I value and respect my sisters and brothers equally. I celebrate my heritage. It is a blessing I take one step toward improving my community and know that by helping, others I am helping myself. My words are powerful tools I use with care and confidence I celebrate the faith and accomplishments of people of color. We all have so much to be proud of. We have a rich inheritance. I am the fruit of my family tree. I explore my roots with love. 'Requirements Girls grades 9-12 Community involvement A letter of recommendation from a commtmity member, school personnel, youth leader etc. A 250 to 500 word essay on the Essay Topic. Selling $150.00 dollars (minimum) advertisement in Souvenir Booklet. ~VlVlVlVlV~V~VlVI~~: '~WWWWWV~WWWW eritageFcst Schedule of F~ve~t~ Saturday, February 1, 2003 Sunday, February 2, 2003 Saturday, February 8, 2003 Saturday, February 15, 2003 Saturday, 15, 16, 2003 Friday, Saturday & Sunday, February 21- 23, 2003 Saturday, February 22, 2003 Sunday, February 23, 2003 Family Story Hour & Book Signing/Boynton Beach Library Coronation of Heritagefest Court/Boynton Beach Women's Club Mildred Walker Youth Recognition Luncheon/Holiday Inn Catalina Free Book Distribution, Spelling Bee & Oratorical Contest/Hester Center Student Exhibits: Essays, Arts, History, and Science/Boynton Beach Mall Youth Basketball Toumament/Hester Center Adult Basketball Toumament/Hester Center Parade, Health Fair, Festival on the Lawn, Entertainment & Vendors/Itester Center Gospel Explosion & Youth Choir Competition/Itester Center For additional infomtion contact: Angela Gktm~ at (561)737-6067