01-19-20v•
AGENDA
REGULAR MEETING OF
FIRST NIGHT STEERING COMMITTEE
January 19, 2000
City Hall Commission Chambers
7:30 p.m.
1. Call to Order
2. Approval of Minutes of Meeting of December 29, 1999
3. Treasurer's Report — Donna Arias
4. Committee Reports
A) Children's Programs — Lynn CharestlJill Easton
B) Decorations/Certificates — Suzette Abrass
C) Processional — Ronda McDonald
D) Programming — Rosemary Fletcher
E) Fund Raising — Nancy Bodge
F) Publicity — Nancy DeCandis
G) Buttons — Mary Jenkins
H) Merchandise — Valerie Pickett
1) Volunteers — Donna Zimmerman
J) Printing — Carol Mikell
K) Logistics — Eloise Koerber
5. Chairman's Wrap Up
MINUTES OF
FIRST NIGHT COMMITTEE
January 19, 2000
A regular meeting of the First Night Committee was held Wednesday, January 19, 2000, in the City Hall
Commission Chambers. Present were Chairperson Nancy DeCandis, Suzette Abrass, Jeff Banks, Nancy
Bodge, Jill Easton, Rosemary Fletcher, Mary Jenkins, Elaine Kinney, Eloise Koerber, Ronda McDonald,
Carol Mikell, Valerie Pickett and Staff Member Susan Dunham.
1. Call to Order
The meeting was called to order by Chairperson Nancy DeCandis at 7:35 p.m.
2. Approval of Minutes of Meeting of December 29. 1999
Mary Jenkins moved to approve the Minutes of the meeting of December 29, 1999; Eloise Koerber
seconded and the motion carried.
3. Treasurer's Report
The Treasurer's Report was not ready for distribution at this meeting.
4. Committee Reports
All Committee's made the following recommendations for the next First Night:
A) Children's Programs - Jill Easton
1. Sticky Fingers to provide a children's menu;
2. Children's Programs to have first choice of classrooms from 5:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.;
3. Public address system in cafeteria;
4. Hayrides were great;
5. Expand mask making;
6. More tents outside for artists;
7. Bonfire was incredible;
8. Advise Logistics or Decorations if any rooms need to be decorated or set up;
9. Possibly charge $2.00 for children under five.
B) Decorations/Certificates - Suzette Abrass
Certificates of Appreciation will be sent to Citibank, American Express Financial Services, City of
Atlantic Beach, Atlantic Beach Elementary, Community Presbyterian, Boy Scout Troop 37, Explorers,
Book Mark and Shelbys. A Certificate of Appreciation was presented to Jeff Banks.
C) Processional - Ronda McDonald
1. Locate tent next to bike racks;
2. Provide bull horns that work;
3. Make processional to beach more lively;
4. Missed traditional quality at midnight.
D) Programming - Rosemary Fletcher
1. Programming to meet with Children's Programming earlier;
2. Begin publicity for artists in October;
3. Publicity too focused on children's events -publicize for all generations;
4. Artists to return promo material by contract deadline;
5. Put artist lineup in newspaper two times in December;
6. Gather information on length, format and questions prior to interview;
7. Callers to announce performers;
8. Provide tent with sides and heat for dancing;
9. Give dance lessons %2 hour prior to dance;
10. Utilize school auditorium for sit down performances after Children's Playmarket
11. Comedy improv with audience participation;
12. Commission Chambers and Adele Grage under utilized;
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'4Minutes of First Night Steering Committee
January 19, 2000
Page 2
13. Compensate Atlantic Beach Elementary and Community Presbyterian for use of space -donate
equipment/artwork/artists paid by First Night to do workshop at school -give weave to school;
14. Four days needed to proof programs;
15. Provide artist check-in table;
16. Coordinate housing deals for artists;
17. Alternate lighting for classrooms -not neon;
18. Keep Rising Stars event;
19. More multi -cultural;
20. Artists must return contracts, promo materials, W9s, by contract deadline;
21. Contract must be returned within three weeks or it is null and void;
22. Enlarge and bold payment information on contract;
23. Children's Committee to make copies of contracts to give to Programming;
24. Add to contract that no gratuity or soliciting for money is acceptable --this would make contract null
and void;
25. Artists may sell CDs.
E) Fund Raising: Nancy Bodge
1. The request for $10,000 from Citibank has been submitted.
F) Publicity - Nancy DeCandis
1. First Night must pay to have the program printed in the newspaper;
2. Nancy DeCandis requested that all Committee Chairs prepare their budget for the next First Night
meeting.
G) Buttons - Mary Jenkins
1. Have buttons, programs, posters and signs ready by December 1;
2. Distribute flyers to local elementary schools in early December offering buttons for sale;
3. Continue First Night table at Tree Lighting ceremony in early December and offer merchandise for
sale;
4. Create attractive displays for merchants selling buttons;
5. Advertise in Navy base newspaper;
6. Check into selling buttons at the Navy base through MWR;
7. 2,000 to 2,500 buttons is the maximum to order;
8. Need more clean-up help on January 1;
9. Do not need to do flashing buttons next year;
10. Sales for buttons totals approximately $10,500;
11. Approximately 3,200 people attended this year.
H) MerchandiseNendors - Valerie Pickett
1. Merchandise sales totals $1,145;
2. 450 necklaces are unaccounted for;
3. People loved the t -shirts but wanted long sleeve t -shirts and wanted them to say "2000;"
4. Shelby's will give $250 to First Night;
5. Sticky Fingers will give $300 to First Night;
6. Provide food for people who do not eat pork/vegetarians-Sticky Fingers can add rotisserie chicken
to the menu;
7. Provide separate line for drinks;
8. Provide two serving stations;
9. Food area first, then seating area;
10. One man band kept things lively - please get for processional;
11. Clowns were very helpful;
12. Some of the globe lights stopped working.
I) Volunteers - Nancy DeCandis
1. Rosemary Fletcher suggested that every Committee member take eight to ten names of people who
volunteered to thank them for volunteering and to see if they would like to work on a committee;
'.Minutes of First Night Steering Committee
"January 19, 2000
Page 3
2. Eloise Koerber advised the Committee that Rich Dunham has volunteered to work on a Committee.
He served in the U.S. Navy for 11 years in supply/logistics and is now a Senior Marketing Manager
at CSX Intermodal;
3. Early in the year contact Kiwanis, Rotarians, Exchange Club, MOPS, FOP, etc. Jeff Banks
suggested the Bible Club, the Key Club and the NHS. Ronda McDonald volunteered to talk with
these groups to see if they would be interested in volunteering.
J) Printing — Carol Mikell
1. Artists deadline two months earlier;
2. Deadline October 15;
3. Add Printed Products to program.
K) Logistics — Eloise Koerber
1. Programming and Children's Programming to work together;
2. Children's Programming member attend Logistics meetings;
3. More roving artists;
4. More artists information in the newspaper;
5. "Ask Me" buttons were a big help;
6. Adele Grage wheelchair accessible bathrooms are awkward;
7. Set Up and Clean Up Committees—if not, hire temporary help;
8. Volunteer recruitment early in year;
9. Look into using only church and school and utilizing more outdoor areas;
10. Create a website;
11. Provide first aid station;
12. Provide lighting at parking area;
13. Provide information booth at the school.
5. Chairman's Wrap Un
Nancy DeCandis stated First Night has a free storage bin for the month of January. The Committee decided
to pay for the month of February and to decide at the next meeting whether to continue with the storage unit.
Nancy requested that the Committee members decide what their commitments will be for First Night 2001
by the next meeting.
The meeting was adjourned at 9:25 p.m.
Nancy DeCdndis, Chairperson