The Downtown Festival Committee covered a lot of ground planning our 35th annual party during the July 11th meeting, but we were still done in under two hours!
We kicked off the meeting with facilities talk. Storage options for the festival and Chamber holiday equipment and supplies was a major topic. Better electrical and water access for carnival and food vendors, as well as ways to be more self-sufficient quickly followed. By meeting facilities challenges, we will improve the layout and flow of the Downtown Festival.
Next, we took a look at old AutumnFest and Tulip Time materials and talked about the history of and past events. Our hope is to bring back some of those events for our 35th year.
If you are interested in seeing the old festival materials and newspaper printings visit the Belle Plaine Historical/Genealogical Society and the Belle Plaine Public Library • Kansas for a hands-on view of history.
The vendor lead discussed updates to the Vendor Fair which will run on Saturday, April 18th, as well as an improved layout for indoor and outdoor vendors. Open registration begins September 1st.
We touched on fundraisers that help support the festival. There are concession opportunities at the Kansas Star Casino in coming months. Let us know if you would be interested in helping out for a few hours.
Lastly, we discussed ways to expand children’s entertainment on Sunday. A number of good ideas were introduced for exploration.
We want to give a shout out to those who have recently stepped up to organize the Photography Contest, the Quilt Show, and the Poker Run benefitting Honor Flight. We couldn’t do this without you.
To learn more about getting involved, please contact us.
Join us for our next meeting on August 8th.