The meeting was
called to order by event chairman Tom Ritchey at 7:00 PM. Present were: Tom Richey, Andy Andersen,
Pete Weber, Dave Martin, Ed Hannevig, Robert English, Larry Weber and Lynn McDonald.
Reviewing the
previous event's program, Tom solicited comment about how well it worked
out. Pete requested an announcement
about the arrival/departure of helicopters, that's providing that the
helicopters actually make it to next year's event. Ideas for a speaker were passed around, but no decision was
made. The portable flag pole worked out
fine, partly because the ceremony could be held on the grass rather than on the
pavement in the parking lot; the restaurant being open could change the location
since the regular flagpole could be used.
Keeping the ceremony in the grassy area was considered a good idea since
it provides view of activities on the ramp.
The wreath arrangement was good, but leaning it against the generator
was not a good spot. Pete asked to be
relieved of the security post, and Tom said he could be relieved of the post
when he found someone else to fill it.
Military aircraft was a question; there is a possibility that an F-15
and a Blackhawk could be at the event, but nothing had been nailed down. Last year's request got submitted relatively
late but it is on file so it will save us time for the upcoming event. Sending another letter at this time of the
year should be sufficient. A
question came up about balloons, since
we have a couple of balloonists here at the airpark now, and whether we wanted
to include them in the event. They
should have their own safety officer and have their launching pad in a safe
area. This started a general discussion
about the possible benefits (great attention-getter) and disadvantages
(unpredictable flight pattern).
A preliminary list
of participating entities was passed around which included all that were
committed to participate in next year's event as of this evening. Larry brought up the boy scout troop #108 as
a possibility to help with the flag ceremony and parking parts of the event,
and this was greeted positively. The
food concessions could probably be handed over to the restaurant, owned by Dave
Baker, though it will be a much heavier crowd than they usually get. Dave Martin will discuss this with him. Old
car clubs were discussed: many of the clubs that were called never got back in
touch, and a few local individuals showed up, though there is definitely room
for more. The tables and chairs from
the EAA worked out fine with an adequate supply. The advertising last year worked out fine, so the plan was to
repeat the same type and size of ad as last year; the same goes for the shuttle
busses that were used last year. A
model plane display was discussed, and there were several names of people in
the airpark who put those together.
The port-a-potty
proved to be a major headache since the bill was paid immediately but
statements kept coming anyway for several months. There would be some possibility of one being donated, but this
has not been confirmed. The restaurant
being open makes two more restrooms available, but that will probably not be
enough. Last year's budget for the event was $300.00, and new possible
contributors toward the event were discussed.
Larry mentioned the possibility of a corporate sponsorship from Garmin
who are spearheading a new GPS unit for airplanes and have a sales office at
the Salem airport already. They could
at least be approached about putting up a booth at the event, and possibly
making a contribution toward sponsoring.
Pete mentioned that there were many pilots attending who might object to
the involvement of Commercial booth as this is a Memorial event, and this was
acknowledged but Tom asked that Garmin be approached to see if they were
amenable.
The meeting was
adjourned at 8:15 PM.
Respectfully
submitted by Robert English, secretary.
Meeting1127.doc