MOTIONS THIS MONTH

• • The board agreed to revise its membership dues structure, as described in the Membership section of these minutes.

  • The board agreed to move the July 2006 meeting to the 11th, so as not to conflict with the July 4th holiday. However, it declined to move the November meeting to the 14th, so as not to conflict with Election Day.

OPENING CEREMONIES

The meeting was called to order at 8:05 p.m., at the home of Bobbi Rosengarten. In the absence of President Chris Riemer, the meeting was chaired by Andy (“L'etat c'est temporarily moi”) Koenig.

Roll Call

Present were Lois DeRitter, Evelyn Maurer, Brad Pryor, Bobbie Rosengarten, Mark Schaffer and Jim West (Trustees),

Mike Agranoff, Paul Axel-Lute, Mike DelVecchio, Andy Koenig, George Otto, Liz Pagan, Julie Pasqual, Pam Robinson, Pat Rolston, Bob Safranek, Larry Flanigan, Alice Weimer, Barb Moo, Rick Thomas and Jean Scully (Other Board Members) and Judy Bubar (Guest). Absent were Ralph Litwin, Chris Riemer, Gwen Orel, Sandie Reilly and Elizabeth Lachowicz.

The meeting was called to order two trustees short of a quorum. Some debate was held whether this was more analogous to a couple of sandwiches short of a picnic or two bulbs short of a chandelier, but this could not be decided in the absence of a quorum. Debate was tabled. Old & New Business was delayed until a quorum was reached later in the meeting.

Secretary's Report

The minutes of the December 2005 meeting, prepared by retiring Secretary Extraodinaire Doreen Sherman, were accepted without correction. Jean Scully will be serving as Secretary in 2006 and knows she has big shoes to fill, metaphorically speaking.

Treasurer's Report

Pat presented the EOY report for fiscal '05, showing a loss of $1,644.17. The cause of the shortfall has been identified, and will be partially addressed by filing our taxes on time this year (May 15th) to avoid penalties. Minstrel & Swingin' Tern will be reviewing their pricing and P&L. The change in the Minstrel fee structure will allow us to pay performers more, as well as cover the upcoming postage increase.

On 12/31 we showed approximately $20,000 in the bank, with $11,900 representing money from cashed-in CDs. $10,000 will be rolled back into CDs, pending the outcome of the February special concert.

Pat asked that all Projectiles responsible for depositing monies for Folk Project please do so promptly, and please report them to Pat promptly as well. She has deposit tickets and stamps for the back of checks available for the asking. All deposits should be made to our account at the Bank of America.At the time of the meeting, the revenue from December's Open Stage had yet to be deposited, and no one knew who was holding the funds. You know who you are....

Also, if you are due a reimbursement for purchases made for FP events, please submit those receipts as soon as possible, or at least quarterly, to make Pat's job less onerous.

REPORTS OF THE STANDING COMMITTEES

Membership

The modest proposal to raise the regular membership fee to $20 and supporting fee to $25, with the charge for additional family members to stay at $3 was made by Barb Moo and seconded by Mark Schaffer. At approximately 465 members, this could bring in an extra $2,000. Many folks who now pay supporting member fees may drop back to regular membership to keep their contribution at $20, so there will not be an precise increase of $5 per current membership.

We need at least an extra $1,000 to cover the additional fees, including postage increases.

The cost of multi-year memberships will also go up accordingly; after some discussion it was agreed that Barb will handle the logistics of when the increase will kick in for those who already have multi-year memberships. It was pointed out that adding additional family members at $3 per head gets them a festival discount, which is a valuable savings.

This change will take effect with the next newsletter. Liz, George & Barb will deal with the issues of getting the word out via Web & print, including the news that this is the first membership price increase in 13 years. The question of raising the dues was called and the motion carried.

The sexfolds will also have to be updated (see below).

Publicity

Alice thanked her husband Larry for his help in getting us tax-exempt status for our postage fees. A meeting will be held later in January to discuss the format in which publicity material is sent to our various outlets (hard copy vs electronic).

Webmaster

George reported that all numbers are improving. November showed 39 hits per day to the Minstrel page, and 18 to Swingin' Tern; Storytelling and Festival pages are flat.

PayPal sweeps for money one time per month, except for the income from Special Concerts.

George has updated the contact info page for various Board members; please view your listing for errors. All chairs of committees have a “boutique” email (i.e., events@folkproject.org), which is what shows on the website rather than an individual's “real” email.

George has posted a questionnaire on the website regarding folks' feelings about festival, since attendance has been down lately. The Special Concerts info page is up for the next concert in February.

George asked that any new info for the website be sent to him by the 15th of the month. If you have any emergency or time-sensitive information, such as weather-related closures, please call George; don't just rely on e-mail to reach him in time.

Merchandising

Mike D is getting the picture to George for the new t-shirt. Mike is also dealing with the vendor of the substandard FP guitar picks.

Internal Affairs

Jean is just starting her first month as Internal Affairs Chair and is glad to be back on the Board after a couple of years' absence. She has booked most of the Evenings o' Music for the upcoming year already, with the exception of March & December, which are still up for grabs. There is no party in May due to conflict with Festival, but there will be one in October.

Mark Schaffer reported that the pastor of the church which handled the overflow parking for his Evening o' Music in December will be invited to the next party to show our appreciation for his hospitality.

Mark will be handling signing up acts for Valentine's Day. There will be no charity effort this year, unlike the Tsunami Relief he spearheaded last year. However, we will be enjoying a new format of people being able to sign up to sing with either a Big Band, complete with brass section, or a small Jazz Trio. Those wishing to perform in another format can do that as well, and the always-wonderful Minstrels of Love will be performing as usual. We have made a special invitation to MUF members to join the fun this year.

Community Affairs

No report from Elizabeth Lachowicz, who was still in Chicago for her holiday trip.

Sound Reinforcement

Bob reported that 10 people have signed up for the upcoming workshop by Allison Boardman, now rescheduled for 2-5 on January 7. Mike A will call MUF and see if they have any interested folks, and Pam has already reached out to our contacts at the Bickford Theater at the Morris Museum. Ideally Bob would like to keep the total number to no more than 16, to allow 2 groups of 8 hands-on experience.

Minstrel Booking

Mike reported that December was quiet, other than the muted crunch of his snapping fibula. However, we ended the year in good shape, with average attendance up 8% over last year, reversing a 5-year trend of decline. The average was 90.6 for all shows excluding Open Stage, 79.5 average including Open Stage.

December average attendance was 57.5. Minstrel ended the year $500 in the black; really good, and despite the more rigorous accounting this year. Mike is particularly looking forward to The Kennedys on 1/27 and 20 year old blues phenom David Jacobs-Strain in June.

Minstrel Staffing

No report from the absent Sandie Reilly, but a reflexive plea for volunteer help was entered in her name by the corporate body.

Swingin' Tern

Paul reported that the two December dances netted $87 (with a trio) and $3 (with a 4-person band).

There were 95 attendees for New Year's Eve, and the dance netted $258. Attendance was a little down from last year, possibly due to the weather, but many folks used PayPal, possibly due to getting the word out about it earlier.

Horses Sing None of It

No report from the absent Sandie Reilly.

Special Concerts

Mark reported for the absent Gwen Orel. The Irish Christmas in America concert was wonderful, yet lost money, partly due to lowered attendance due to the inclement weather, and partly due to some logistical issues which have since been addressed, including possibly a lower guarantee in the future and not scheduling special concerts during the most weather-risky months of the year. The loss was covered by our Morris Arts Council grant, however. A rep from the Arts Council, Katie Dempsey, came and loved the show. (Unfortunately, we cannot apply for an Morris Arts Council grant this year as we have already missed the deadline.)

Attendance was about 150 people; of $2,900 in admissions, only about $260 was sold at the door. The rest was in advance, which meant that those who bailed due to the weather still paid for their ticket, which reduced our risk.

There was some debate regarding the price of the tickets, with Mike opining that the break point is really about $20/$25 ticket price. Jim felt that the the increased income was due to the Christmas nature of the concert and the we should not raise our prices. However, Jim also felt strongly that a key to better P&L is to better control extra expenses going forward.

In this vein, Pat wants to be informed about the monetary details of the contracts in advance, especially the guarantee so she can have the money ready.

The upcoming special concert is Friday, February 17 at MUF, “Irish Song and Story,” with Mick Moloney, John Doyle, Robbie O'Connell and Athena O'Lochlainn, all extremely well-known Irish musicians.

A house concert will also be held March 25 at the home of Mark & Robin Schaffer; Mark will speak to George about whether this should be on the website or not.

Festival

Mike A reported on the new Festival survey, now available on the website, which queries folks for their opinions on Festival, including why some may have stopped coming. He asked that everyone take the time to take the survey so we get a good sampling.

He also asked that folks pitch Festival to everyone they think might enjoy it; get them signed up for the email list at least. Mike D noted that we should make more outreach to Sussex County venues, as he has many musician friends there who don't know about our Festival taking place in their own backyard.

Storytelling

Unfortunately, Julie's liaison to the South Jersey area suddenly lost her husband, so her duties are being temporarily reassigned. The group is also re-assessing how they choose their storytellers in order to get more diversity and some new blood.

REPORTS OF THE AD HOC COMMITTEES

Archive Management

Chris & Pat went to a workshop on records retention a couple of months ago, and have passed on their newfound knowledge to Bobbie.

The Board received the wonderful news that Duane Degoutis, a long-time member & supporter of FP, has many, many cassettes of old FP skits (going back to the first one!), as well as concerts from the pre-FP Project 21 days, and even old FP Festival workshops. This treasure trove is being transferred to CD and will be given to us.

Once Bobbi has received these, she will contact Rutgers for archiving.

Meeting Scheduling

A list of all venues for all 2006 Board meetings will be posted on the web page shortly. Venues for the 2006 FP Board meetings (open to all members!) are as follows:

February 7th: Rick & Cathy Thomas

March 7th: Bob Safranek & Pam Robinson

April 4th: George Otto

May 2nd: Mark & Robin Schaffer

June 6th: Chris Riemer

July 11th: Barb Moo & Andy Koenig

August 1st: Andy Koenig & Barb Moo

September 5th: Paul & Melanie Axel-Lute

October 3rd: George Otto

November 7th: Liz Pagan & Dave Kleiner

December 5th: Probably at Ginty's for our annual wrap-up meeting & dinner

Barb moved to re-schedule the November meeting, now scheduled for Election Day, to the following Tuesday, 11/14. Evelyn seconded. A straw poll was held to determine who would be unable to attend on Election Day, versus the second Tuesday, when several members had other conflicts. The motion was defeated and the November meeting will take place on 11/7. However, the intervening 10 months should provide plenty of opportunity for further beating of this particular dead horse. Barb's motion to reschedule the July meeting to July 11th rather than July 4th met with no opposition.

OLD AND NEW BUSINESS

Regular Reporting

Mike Agranoff (as registered agent of FP) has submitted our annual report to the State of NJ.

Champlain Valley Folk Festival

Mike reported receiving an email from Champlain Valley Folk Festival in Vermont, asking if we were still interested in being a sponsor. Yes, we are, so we will place an ad in their festival flyer and FP members will get a 10% discount. The timing of the promotion of this to our members is TBD.

Sexfold Brochures

There are several 100 of these left to be distributed. Mike suggested ditching them in favor of a one-page sheet, including a membership application. Much of the info is now out of date, including our prices. Rick asked the cost to do a new one, with updated info. Liz pointed out that the widespread use of the Web makes this item almost obsolete, which was seconded by George.

Evelyn noted that as the point person at the New Jersey Folk Festival, she has gotten many favorable comments about the sexfold and the professional, legit aura it gives FP, as opposed to just another xeroxed one-page handout. This was seconded by Rick, who feels the sexfold does the same for Minstrel, especially for first-time visitors. Discussion was complicated by the fact that the sexfold is an orphan with no champion.

Mark offered to re-examine the issue of getting it revamped in April, after the Special Concert hoopla is over with. We will put stickers on the existing sexfolds to reflect new information in the meantime. Mike asked that someone come up with the content for the new sexfold, if there is one. Liz noted that she works in Quark Express, not Word, so plan accordingly. Bob suggested a two-sided flyer, with nice picture and some text on one side, our membership form on the other.

The other two items of Old Business, “The Server Side of Life” and Reorganization of the Board, were left to simmer on the back burner until next month's meeting.

GOOD OF THE ORDER

Pat spoke to Jean Silver, who says hi & would like to move back to the area. Lois DeRitter saw many musical events over the holiday period, “from bagpipes to Bon Jovi,” and enjoyed them all. She especially loved the Irish Christmas in America Special Concert, and an event called the Pipes of Christmas held in Summit. Julie spent Christmas and her 12/23 birthday in London and had a wonderful time, including a visit to Charles Dickens' home. Evelyn Maurer reminded the group that long-time member & performer Lew Hollander is turning 80! Mark Schaffer saw a production of “A Christmas Carol” in Mountain Lakes which included Projectiles Ken Gallipeau as Scrooge, Jean Scully as the Ghost of Christmas Past, and Ken's stepdaughters Chelsea and Beth Wagner and Jean's daughter Siobhan in their acting debuts. Mark reported that he attended to be polite & supportive but ended up really enjoying the production. The Ghost of Christmas Present temporarily suspended her minute taking to sprinkle him with her Torch of Good Cheer. Mark's wife Robin Schaffer got a new car. Mark has lost 14 pounds since starting a new diet, but luckily these pounds were found by Larry Flanigan, who is holding on to them for now. He will probably return them to Mark during Robin “General Food” Schaffer's upcoming business trip to Hong Kong. Brad Pryor reported he has learned to sing! Barb Moo saw the same production of “A Christmas Carol” and reported she cried. She also saw Pamela Zave's work in a juried quilt show and was quite impressed. She reported she had great food & fun over the holidays. Pam reported celebrating Turducken Day on January 2, which involves the eating of a chicken which is stuffed inside a duck which is stuffed inside a turkey. She said it was utterly delicious. Larry Flanigan reported that the Benefit Concert for the Cheshire home netted $2400, and thanked performers Mark Schaffer, Mike Agranoff & Andy Koenig for their contributions. Larry's son-in-law has also just graduated from the Police Academy. Ken Gallipeau will be appearing at the Giggles Theatre, run by a charity organization by which George is employed. George is putting together a promotional video compilation. Mike reported on the Agony of De Feet regarding his broken leg, which is now healing more nicely than anticipated. He thanked Ken, Mark & Jean for schlepping him around. Andy is not giving up puns for Lent

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 10:07 p.m.