HVNA Block Party Follow-up Meeting
We met at Jean and Wayne Haut's home on Thursday, September 27th to review the September 15th HVNA Block Party. The following is a quick review of our final checklist with comments on what worked well and improvement suggestions for next year.
§ Calendars - 15+ calendars were sold at $15 each
§ Portable Toilet - A necessity and it was adequate
§ Kids Activities
§ Crafts - Spider rings were good, but the paper hats out of newspaper and rock painting were the big hits. The Button Stool was fun and sold for $17 at the silent auction (Jean Haut).
§ Games - The basketball shooting, football toss, frisbee toss and beanbag toss all were a success, but the beanbag had the longest lines. We need more rotation of helpers at the games and more helpers, especially at the football toss for chasing footballs.
§ Band - The band was great and perfect for this kind of event.
§ Pop - 3 cases were purchased, Diet Coke, Sprite and Pepsi. 1 1/2 cases sold at $.50.
§ Flyers - 700 were copied and distributed. The breakdown into 4 areas and teams worked well.
§ Info Table
§ Walking Tour Booklets - a few were sold
§ Contractor List - some interest
§ House Stories & Write-ins - a lot of interest
§ Representatives Table - Scott (City), Cathy (City) and Kitty (State) all had a steady stream of visitors with good questions.
§ News coverage - Press release before was good. Could maybe do several next year. No coverage during the block party but we will submit some pictures for a follow-up story.
§ Photo Opportunity - Not too many took advantage of the display at the Vine Street Florist.
§ Tables and Chairs - About right. Thanks First Baptist Church. A contribution of $25,000 for an elevator would help getting them down and up to the second level.
§ Ice Cream - 300 purchased, probably 100 left. The pogs worked well for the distribution.
§ Table signs - Lee's new printer worked well and the signs were adequate.
§ Sign-in Tables - Worked well. Needed more paper for kids door prize drawings.
§ Door Prizes - 53 collected from 8 shops and 205 certificates from the Freedom Station assured that all kids got something.
Here are some ideas that were suggested for next year:
§ Change the name from HVNA Block Party to HVNA Neighborhood Party or something that would get away from the stigma of a single block for a broader draw.
§ Get the Coke Brat Stand to centralize all the food. Sell brats. Beer is doable.
§ Advertise for local (Old Town) crafts for a craft fair in conjunction with the block party
§ Involve the Octagon House and the Historical Society
Financial Report - Block Party costs
$79.00 Bathroom
$112.00 Crafts
$83.00 Calendars
$18.00 Pop
$57.00 Flyers
$58.00 Candy
$187.00 Band
$95.00
Ice-cream
$588.00 Total