NORTH AURORA DAYS
COMMITTEE MEETING MINUTES
Monday, August 12, 2019
Call to Order
Mark Gaffino called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m.
Attendance
Mark Gaffino, Kim Haeger, Carolyn Bird Salazar, Holly O’Brien, Chris Sparks, Robyn Stecklein, David Fisher, Bill Hannah, Steve Bosco, and David Hansen.
Approval of Minutes
David Fisher made a motion to approve the July 8, 2019 meeting minutes, which were seconded by Carolyn Bird Salazar.
Motion to Approve: All in Favor
Discussion
1. Discussion of North Aurora Days
Village Administrator Steve Bosco updated the committee on North Aurora Day policies, fireworks, and golf carts. Bosco mentioned the committee should draft some policies about the operations of the event so it could guide members going forward. He also mentioned the fireworks were very good this year and that the fireworks company discounted them to $8,000 instead of $12,000 due to the past two years failing to meet expectations. Bosco also said that the Village was able to secure two six passenger golf carts along with a gator (utility vehicle) through a governmental surplus property program. They are planned to be shipped to the Village over the next few months. Bosco also mentioned that the event did a great job at recycling the beer cans from the beer tent.
Finance Director Bill Hannah updated the committee on finances. Hannah mentioned that the sponsorships revenue for 2019 were $700 less than 2018 ($44,150 in 2019 compared to $44,850 in 2018), but the beer tent revenue had record sales. Hannah said he would update the committee next meeting regarding how much the revenues and expenses were for the beer tent and overall event since all the receipts and invoices were still coming in.
Kim Haeger updated the committee on the beer tent and food vendors. Haeger mentioned the cans were great this year since they required less work, were less sticky/messy, easier to prepare, and led to less waste. Multiple committee members mentioned there were a lot of compliments on the amount of different beer selections available along with switching to all cans. Haeger mentioned that there were six foods vendors for Friday and Saturday and there was one vendor for Sunday’s event.
Carolyn Bird Salazar updated the committee on volunteers. Salazar mentioned they had plenty of volunteers, but communication with the school district about what students were coming and when they were arriving could have been better. Salazar said it would be helpful in the future to work with the school district and try to get a list of students, a slot of times, and tell volunteers ahead of time what type of work they were going to do.
North Aurora Days Chairman Mark Gaffino updated the committee on the Clock Tower portion of the event, bands, and Sunday’s event. Gaffino mentioned the event was a lot cleaner this year and he heard great things about the bands. The committee thought the band selection of genres were well balanced and can build off this year’s feedback. The committee said they may consider shifting the time slots for the bands so they don’t conflict with other events. Gaffino also mentioned that the Sunday event went very well and heard that moving the time slot back to 2pm-6pm or even earlier may attract a larger crowd.
Holly O’Brien updated the committee on the VIP tent and the Run for the Riverfront race. O’Brien mentioned that the VIP tent had some sponsors show up this year and that a few residents asked if the public could pay to get into the tent. The committee was glad to hear the furniture and VIP section worked out better this year. O’Brien also said that going forward that maybe there could be more snacks, some soda choices, signage, and a bigger VIP tent that could include sponsors, trustees, and a place for the public. O’Brien mentioned that Jessi Watkins told her that the race had over 200 runners this year, but NOARDA may not be able to run or fund the race going forward.
Chris Sparks updated the committee on the Fishing Derby. Sparks said that about 25 kids registered ahead of time and about 25 kids registered on the day of the event. Sparks said there were six rods given out to winners and only heard one complaint which was about parking. Sparks asked the committee if it would make sense to move up the event to end at 10am instead of 10:30am. The committee thought that it may be a good idea sine Touch a Truck starts at 10am.
Mark Gaffino updated the committee on softball tournament. Gaffino mentioned that one of the six teams did not show up. Gaffino said that switching the softball from 16in to a 14in mushball may be a good idea. Gaffino also mentioned that younger kids were also interested in the event and maybe there could be a younger age group for softball at the event in the future.
Gaffino also mentioned that Doug Botkin said that the cans worked well in the beer tent, especially the refrigerated truck and ice coolers. Gaffino said Botkin mentioned that the ID check line got long at times and should see if we can try to cut down on that wait time if possible.
Robyn Stecklein updated the committee on safety day and touch a truck. Stecklein mentioned they handed out between 200-300 helmets before running out and that 45 car seats were checked, which is higher than normal. Stecklein also mentioned that over 15 vehicles were at the Touch a Truck event which had a good attendance as well.
Bosco updated the committee on the emergency vehicle parade and carnival. Bosco mentioned the emergency vehicle parade still had over 30 vehicles despite the confusion and Oswego cancelling their portion of the parade at the last minute. Bosco also said the carnival company had only five rides and did not bring all the rides that were in the contract. The committee members also heard parents asking if there were wristbands available for the rides. The committee agreed to have a discussion regarding the carnival/amusements going forward in a future meeting.
Robyn Stecklein made a motion to adjourn the meeting at 7:27 p.m., which was seconded by David Fisher.
Motion to Adjourn: All in Favor
Respectfully submitted,
David Hansen
