1997-04-24 Agenda & Packet - Laserfiche WebLink

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HISTORY OF "FESTIVAL IN THE PARK" A 20 YEAR TRADITION OF THE CITY OF MOUNDS VIEW It was the year of the Nation's bicentennial that the President of the United States, along with all the Governors of the states requested communities to celebrate. In the year 1976 the City of Mounds View, along with many other cities, initiated the "Festival in the Park" celebration. A group of community residents formed a committee and planned the festivities of the first "Festival in the Park". The Hodges, Burmeisters, Baumgartners, Frits, Ziebarths and others were the first leaders of the Festival. The first Festival was a historical tribute to the nation and the community. People dressed in clothes of"the olden days". Activities included an ecumenical church service in the park, musical entertainment, games and food booths, and softball games among other things. Everyone enjoyed the Festival in the Park so much that it became an annual event. A Festivities Commission was established. It's purpose - to promote an annual community-wide special event. The subsequent years of Festival planning was through the Festivities Commission, a board appointed by the Mayor and City Council. The Commission was a working Commission, which did the planning, organization and supervision of the Festival. Planning for such an event is time consuming and takes energy, interest and good organizational skills. In the early years, the Mounds View Jaycees assisted with manpower. As the Jaycee members became Lion's Club members, that organization became the community group that provided additional assistance and • funding. Over the years several people served as Chairpersons including Dorothy Willhaus, Jan Quick, and Jan Lindberg. Each served several years as leaders of the Festivities Commission. As time went on the City Council was having a difficult time appointing members to the Festivities Commission and the participation waned. It became too much work! The Parks and Recreation Department assumed a larger role in the planning and organization of the Festival. The amount of time necessary for planning and organizating such an event, plus the responsibility of other summer special events and activities of the Department, began to over-extend the department. It was at this time, approximately 4 year ago that Sharie Linke and Steve Schack attended a Festival Managers Conference and both became certified Festival Managers. The intent was to find ways of encouraging community businesses and organizations to assume the planning, funding and organizing responsibilities of the Festival. It worked! The businesses became involved, and fundraising doubled the budget for the Festival. A parade was included with the Irondale Band Boosters as the support organization for this event. While the Parks and Recreation Department has always provided support and assistance to the Festivities Commission, other departments of the City have also contributed assistance including Public Works, Police, and Fire Departments. The City has contributed funding for all but one year of the 20 years of Festivals. In addition, in-kind services such as insurance liability has been provided by the City. •