City of Rock Island Labor Day Parade Advisory Board met Aug. 28.
Here are the minutes provided by the board:
Board Members present: David Diaz, Kathy Garrison, Vicki Hess, Art Milton, Grace Shirk, Bill Sowards, Edna Sowards, KJ Whitley, and Mary Chappell
Board Members absent:
City Staff present: Dan Gleason, Nathan Berthoud, and Sarah Hayden
The tenth meeting to plan the 39th annual Rock Island Labor Day parade was called to order by G. Shirk. The meeting was held in the conference room at the South Rock Island Township Office Building.
I. Introductions
2. Additions to the Agenda
There were no additions to the agenda.
3. Approval of the August 14, 2023, Minutes
A motion was made by B. Sowards and seconded by A. Milton to approve the minutes as presented. Motion passed.
4. Treasurer’s Report
D. Gleason reported on funds earned since the last meeting. He also shared that the budget for the 2024 parade was recently set at $14,000.
5. Review of the 2023 Parade Planning
Members reviewed the list of 52 entries received to date. D. Gleason took a moment to review the historical totals for entries to use for comparison to this year’s parade. The remaining promotion for the parade includes two press releases. G. Shirk raised a concern about the lack of marching banks in this year’s parade. M. Chappell noted that invitation letters are sent to a list of band directors across the region. It may be that next year board members will need to complete a follow-up call to gauge interest or to see why not interested. The current barometer regarding high school band participation is RIHS Band Director Pete Carlin. With D. Gleason being recognized this year as a Citizen of the Year, N. Berthoud will serve as the announcer at the former Country Market/24th St. site.
Members took a moment to discuss the proposal from Isa Balloons. A motion was made by A. Milton and seconded by D. Diaz to approve the tall tower balloons that will be placed at the site of the three announcers, approve the balloons for the Citizen of the Year cars, and approve the festive backpack option. The motion passed.
A. Milton reviewed the list of volunteers. He noted the areas where coverage is needed and asked members to search for volunteers. He is waiting for confirmation on the number of volunteers from the House Church. There were no changes made to the list of annual parade awards.
6. Parade Staging
M. Chappell noted that under the staging items, the signs have been ordered and the final banner order for the parade dedication will be made in the coming week. She also confirmed that currently, four Citizen of the Year cars are needed.
M. Chappell raised the idea of holding a parade staging meeting on Saturday, September 2, 9 am., at Washington Junior High School. This meeting would offer board members and volunteers time to review the line-up and to walk through the various staging areas. As the manager of a line-up section D. Diaz expressed the consensus among board members that the meeting would be helpful. M. Chappell noted that an onsite meeting will be held with the carriage provider later in the week.
7. Misc. Items of Concern
There was a lengthy discussion regarding a concern raised by G. Shirk about the future of board membership.
8. Public Comments
No one from the public was present at the meeting.
9. Adjournment
With nothing further to discuss, a motion was made by K. Whitley and seconded by A. Milton to adjourn. The motion was passed by all in attendance! The meeting ended at 1:30 pm.
https://www.rigov.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Minutes/_08282023-1233
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