Making Memorial Day Fair

This year the Memorial Day Fair was more than a day at the park. It was my first time co-chairing one of the major fundraisers at Sunnyside Gardens Park and it was, to be honest, a little daunting. I've been around the park long enough to know the lay of the land events-wise. Back in 2012 I served as Asst VP and did a lot of the food shopping for events like this as well as general oversight with the co-chairs. Memorial Day is the first big event of the year and it always seems to set the mood for the summer. So getting it right is important and I didn't want to make a mess of it. Having friends that served as co-chairs for MDF for the last 4 years, I had a pretty good idea of what was involved. And last year as VP, I was able to see lots of the organizational detail that went into pulling it off. Which is partly why I knew how bad we were floundering just a month ago when a lot of the nitty gritty stuff wasn't nailed down. I'd arranged some of the entertainment, solicited raffle donations, locked down rides, and was still trying to figure out if we could outsource food vending with just a few weeks left. I wasn't in complete panic mode, but I knew we were going to have a very busy few weeks ahead. And boy, was I right. Of course, school events were also picking up, so there was a lot of running around day and night. Spring concerts, field days, field trips, project presentations...it all wrapped up on Friday morning and by that evening I was in the park and ready to get this party started with some prep work. Thank goodness for Jamie Sweetman, aka "Park Man," and his park staff team this year. I don't think we could have done it without them. They got me extra tables and chairs, helped set up late at night on Friday, were there again bright and early on Saturday and they finished by breaking it all down and stashing everything away. Seriously. It was a blur of activity, but also lots of fun. That's the best. We did it! 

And when the final numbers come in, I know we made a lot of people happy for the day and we also made a good amount of cash for the park. Nearly 1600 people walked into the park that day and there was food and plenty of beer. And the lines for the concessions never seemed to stop. That cotton candy line! My girls got their bracelets and tickets and took off, returning only when they ran out. It was another banner day in the park they love and I was happy to sneak some pics here and there as I raced about. My brain doesn't hold too many tasks at one time, so I was sometimes trying to figure out what I was just about to do before getting asked to take on some new diversion. And as a co-chair there is always someone asking you for something. But I hope I answered them all. I never felt too overwhelmed. It seemed like there was extra help whenever we desperately needed it. My favorite example of the day was when a nice gray-haired woman approached me around 3:45pm saying that I was the person she needed to ask about vending at the craft fair in October. I explained I was not in charge of that event, but I would be able to look into it for her. She mentioned it was for her friend who sold jewelry and face painted. Face painting? I repeated incredulously. Was her friend at the park today? She said yes. I asked if she wanted to make $50 and face paint for us for the next hour and a half. Well, sure! By the end, these two gracious ladies had jumped in to paint and they worked that line to make it much easier on the lone volunteer at the table. Things like that reinforced my belief that people are good and want to be needed. We all have our unique abilities and volunteering for these kinds of things makes me more aware of how nice it feels to give of your time. I had lots of friends saying thanks and that they were really enjoying the fair this year. And that was just an added bonus. We had the stage in the picnic area which meant you could be part of the crowd better while eating or just hanging out. Choi's rock bands were the breakaway stars of the entertainment line up and Dave Cremin did not disappoint with his magic and comedy routine. Jeff Fairbanks and his band delivered their brass band music with their usual flair and the day was a resounding success. Financially we made out pretty good and I was mostly glad that we sold out of the emergency food bought last minute for a pretty penny. It all worked out. And it was all over. WHEW! Now it's time to recover and consider how we can do better next year....because of course that's what you do.