And yet another Jefferson Township Day is over, but will there be another?
Dear Editor,
On behalf of the Jefferson Arts Committee, I would like to thank all the volunteers who worked on and participated in Jefferson Township Day XXII on Saturday, July 12th. The handful of Arts Committee members who staged this event are to be commended for their dedication and hard work and should be proud of yet another successful hometown event.
Special thanks to Jefferson Township Day Chairman John Focacci for his outstanding managerial skills in coordinating all the elements of this event and the special people on his event committee for taking on specific responsibilities and following them through. They are a wonderful group of people!
Special thanks to the Jefferson Township Administration and Council, Department of Public Works, the Recreation Department, the Jefferson Township Police Department, the Morris County Park Commission, the Jefferson Township Historical Society, the Jefferson Township High School Golden Falcons Marching Band, Jefferson Highlights Community TV, Ready to Roll Sound, and the Morris County Sheriff’s Office for their continuous support and cooperation and all their hard work before, during, and after the event.
And it goes without saying that the Jefferson Arts Committee is so very proud of its sub-groups – the Jefferson Township Community Chorus, Community Band, and Community Players – for being such an important part of the celebration.
We also appreciate the participation of the numerous groups who marched or rode in the parade along Weldon Road including Mayor Felter’s 2007 Citizens of the Year/Parade Grand Marshals Doris Roberts and Clifford Williams. And without all the arts, crafts, and merchandise vendors, service organizations, food vendors, entertainers, etc., there would be no Jefferson Township Day.
Only those who are truly involved in staging an event of this magnitude know the enormity and complexity of all the logistics that are involved from renting port-a-johns and tents to installing snow fencing, from precision planning and publicity efforts to field preparation and crowd control, from securing necessary permits to garbage pick-up, from scheduling quality entertainment and vendors to ensuring adequate electrical service and amplification systems. The to-do list goes on and on.
However, the Jefferson Arts Committee is desperately in need of new volunteers as its dwindling membership is stretched beyond its limits; and many present members are well into their golden years. New ideas, new people, and new activities are needed to move Jefferson Township Day forward to meet the expectations of all age groups from pre-schoolers through adults. Many people have offered excellent suggestions for this event but will not commit to assisting the existing committee members to implement them for future events because of their time constraints with jobs and/or family. Understandably so, but therein, the problem lies. Fortunately, the JAC members persist as none of them want this event to fall by the wayside, oftentimes giving up a tremendous amount of their own personal and family time to get the job done because there is no one else to do it. Spreading the responsibilities among many would certainly lighten the load for all.
Over the next few months, The Jefferson Arts Committee wants to personally reach out to community organizations in an effort to bring them onboard and make Jefferson Township Day bigger and better next year. If your group is interested in getting involved in the 2009 event – which will be event #23 -- and committing to staging a new activity and/or volunteering to help the JAC in some capacity, please contact us via e-mail at artscommittee@jeffersonarts.org and a member of the Executive Board and/or the Jefferson Township Day Committee will be happy to set up a date to make a brief presentation at one of your organization’s meetings. At that time, we can offer some ideas for activities that would enhance the day, meet a specific age target area, and maybe earn your organization some much needed funds at the same time. In addition, your members’ feedback to this past Jefferson Township Day event would be invaluable to the Arts Committee in future planning.
And if you are not a member of any township organization but want to help as an individual, a family, or just a group of friends, you will also be welcomed with open arms to work side-by-side with current members to help accomplish the many tasks associated with the day’s and evening’s planning and events.
It’s a simple win-win situation for everyone, but the commitments must be made if Jefferson Township Day is to continue; and the Jefferson Arts Committee is willing to take the first step!
Planning for next year’s Jefferson Township Day has already begun, and the event is scheduled for Saturday, July 11th so it’s certainly not too early to be thinking of what can be accomplished over the next few months in bringing more activities to the event as well as more volunteers.
One town, one future – that has been Mayor Felter’s message throughout his administration, and the Jefferson Arts Committee wants to do its share in fulfilling that goal. Together, we can make this one community that enjoys celebrating its hometown together.
Sincerely,
Carol Punturieri
President – Jefferson Arts Committee