March 2015

MINUTES

March 10, 2015

Due to snow, the March 3, 2015 Board Meeting was postponed to March 10^th, and called to order at 8:00 pm at Delizia Pizza Kitchen in Boonton, NJ

PRESENT: Officers: Barrett Wilson, Elizabeth Lachowicz, Andrew Hines, Chris Riemer Trustees: Grover Kemble, Allan Kugel, Joanne Cronin, Lindsey Meyer, Lois DeRitter, Barrett Wilson Committee Chairs: Ad Hoc Tech – George Otto; Ad Hoc Financial Solutions Committee Lori Falco; Ad Hoc Arts Award Committee – Andrew Hines; Minstrel Staffing - Barrett Wilson; Membership - Eddie Roffman; Community Services - Pat Brangs; Minstrel Booking - Mike Agranoff; Electronic Comm. - Lori Falco; Newsletter - George Otto; Internal Affairs – Christine DelVecchio, Swingin’ Tern – Leigh Walker, Publicity/Web – Paul Fisher; Sound Reinforcement – Mike DelVecchio; Getaway – Mark Schaffer Guests: none ABSENT: Trustees: Bob McNally; Jay Wilensky Committee Chairs: Merchandising - Gloria Friedman; Special Concerts – Scooter Ferguson; Ad Hoc Finance – Rachel Streich

MOTIONS THIS MONTH

Passed:

• Motion to accept the minutes as is by Elizabeth was seconded and passed unanimously.

• A motion by Barrett Wilson regarding the sound grant was tabled until the April meeting

• Motion to Adjourn was seconded and unanimously approved.

ADMINISTRATION:

Because the President and Secretary were attending the Morristown Council Meeting to accept the Mayoral Proclamation, there was no quorum present to approve the minutes, and having no President to give a president's report; we skipped directly to the Treasurer. http://bit.ly/1O1g8Ky

TREASURER’S REPORT – See report - Chris Riemer reported our cash on hand as of February 28 included about $4,000 in checking, $21,600 in the Money Market and $230 in the cash boxes, for a total of $25,830. Chris also presented a short clinic on the difference between cash and accrual accounting and has decided to change accounting firms. Going forward, FP accounting will be performed by our own beloved Bill Dodds. http://bit.ly/1ANmof0

ADMINISTRATION: (Part 2) The President and Secretary, arriving at 8:15 with Plaqued Proclamation in hand were warmly greeted by all. Andrew presented the Proclamation to the Board describing the events of the Council Meeting. This can be viewed by anyone at the link above.

SECRETARY: The February 2015 minutes were accepted as presented. Elizabeth Lachowicz moved to accept; seconded and passed unanimously. NOTE: Where a Committee has submitted a report, look for a short Bitly Link at the end of each section that you can enter in your browser online.

NEW BUSINESS

PRESIDENTS REPORT: See report - There was a discussion regarding the very generous $10,000 grant for upgrades to the sound system. Many topics were covered, and there was a motion made by Barrett to with several facets. ( Having been tabled, and never formally stated…it is not being printed) . Again, there was much discussion. In Mike DelVecchio’s absence there was a motion to table this, to be re-opened upon Mike’s arrival at the board meeting. This was seconded and passed unanimously. http://bit.ly/1DsgNlj

Barrett will extend another query to Pam Turner re: College Outreach.

OLD BUSINESS

AD HOC TECHNOLOGY – Next up was George Otto, who reported that this committee is in the process of winding down and is having some trouble finding a date when the whole core group can assemble to discuss and vote on the details of its final report. In explaining its deliberations. We need a sense of our target audience: how old? how young? etc. He would like the venues to give him some insight on that, because it will influence the committee's recommendation about social media strategy. The goal should be two-fold: reach more people, and bring more people on board. We want to connect with people who are most likely to become part of our community, not just attend the occasional concert. Mike suggested that George make that request via email, since several venue chairs were absent this evening. He will do so, and promised to have a final report prepared for the April meeting.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

MEMBERSHIP: – See report – Eddie Roffman reports that they are the first committee thought to have taken measures as recommended by the AdHoc Savings Committee. They are now saving $14.00 per month. http://bit.ly/1DsjSSi

MERCHANDISING: Gloria not present

SPECIAL CONCERTS: – See report Scooter not present. Mark Schaffer offered information about the May 1st Special Concert; the theme being Summer Songs. The entire audience will be invited to bring instruments and all will play and sing to words being projected on a screen in the front of the room. In response to a question, Mark stated that this is not billed as a fund raiser. We’d like to attract many new folkies. Admission will be $12.00, no ticks may be used, and refreshments will be provided. http://bit.ly/1BpfRHi

HSNOI: See Report

We taped two shows in February. The A.L.L. Trio blew me away. They are amazing musicians and great songwriters. And Brad Cole's music wasn't too shabby either. http://bit.ly/1GLYIvS

614) 2/3/15 The A.L.L. Trio – Mike Alexander (vocals, mandolin), Evan Lane (vocals, guitar) and Pete Lister (vocals, upright bass) met at County College of Morris in 2003 and have been playing together ever since; they write folk-inspired jazz rock originals and also perform classical, country, blues , bluegrass, jam, progressive and ethnic.

615) 2/3/15 Brad Cole - his songs address the ups and downs of the human condition with both wit and raw insight. "Some performers seem born to command a stage...That's how it is with Brad Cole… Honing in on those uneasy truths most of us evade" Acoustic Live Magazine www.bradcolemusic.com

SWINGIN’ TERN: See Report - We have been meeting to explore ways to realize better operating results. The dance of 2/21 was snowed out. Tern is joining MeetUps and many thanks go to Karen Justin for volunteering to administer it. It would be great if all FP'rs would join the MeetUp. Some attendees have been throwing donations in the jar, knowing we need support to keep up the level of our callers and musicians. Saturday’s (3/6) double dance had great results http://bit.ly/1Dsefn2

PUBLICITY: See Report February was a busy month with items such as snow changes, Morris Arts Award and new Facebook activity leading the way. Home Made Music Party has now been officially changed back to Evenings of Music. Please JOIN the Minstrel Acoustic Concert Series group on Facebook...and then share, share, share. http://bit.ly/1GUOKMv

MINSTREL STAFFING: – See report – Barrett thanked several for coming up with great ideas in the continuing effort to streamline volunteer tasks. This is especially true for the jobs of Head Staff and Door; which have become more complex over time. http://bit.ly/1HVBswM

E-COMM: - See Report - Constant Contact has named us an All Star Customer for the third year in a row. http://bit.ly/1Lj4g7Z

NEWSLETTER: – See report - Things are proceeding as usual with the invaluable help from Pat Brangs, Nancy Kelner, Liz Pagan, Bill Henderson, Paul Fisher, and Eddie Roffman. Members have responded favorably to the more accurate and complete listings in the Members & Friends Gigs section, so much so that the size of that section quadrupled in the current issue. It is clear that I am going to have to do more trimming of such submissions, particularly for those performers with lots of gigs in a given month. We want to let others know where our members are performing, but too much information is difficult to read and understand. http://bit.ly/1CnfofQ

COMMUNITY SERVICES: – See report – Pat Brangs encouraged all, and the greater FP community to be in touch with Jeff Saxton. Barrett mentioned contact with Jeff’s Mom…and she stated how excited he is to be in contact with any of us. Christine reports that he is being moved in the next few days to a nearby care center. http://bit.ly/1Cnfh42

MINSTREL BOOKING: – Mike Agranoff reports a good February. MUF construction plans are off to sometime in 2016. April open stage will be in the Terrace Room. This may be repeated in the future depending upon the results. For the Tom Paxton 40^th anniversary concert, release of tickets to the General Public is being held off until two weeks after release to our general mailing list…probably sometime in April. Invitations are going out to ALL FP volunteers from ALL venues. This is done especially in lieu of us not being fiscally able to host a FP volunteer dinner this year.

New Bookings: 8/17 David Massingill; 9/4 Huxtable, Christensen and Hood; 9/18 Geoff Muldaur; 10/2 No Fuss & Feathers Roadshow; 11/20 Frostwater (a reunion).

INTERNAL AFFAIRS: – See Report - Mark Schaffer reported that The Valentine's Day Concert was a success on many fronts. The Audience loved it, the musicians loved it, and we raised over $1,000...which was $700 over our original goal. The special $12 price was successful, and universally accepted, although Lois DeRitter brought to the attention of the Board, that some had remarked that there was simply too much emphasis on fund-raising to the point of excess. Many thanks to the staff, MCs Gerry and Olga, the musicians, and co-planners Jean Scully, Elizabeth Lachowicz and Barbara Moo. http://bit.ly/1HVAKzH

SOUND REINFORCEMENT: – See report – Mike fortunately arrived before the meeting ended and the topic of the Grant vs. Minstrel Sound vs. MUF objectives was discussed at length. The result was that Goals of Minstrel & MUF will be assessed and discussed between FP designees and MUF. The role of our sound personnel will be better defined with respect to spec’ing out new equipment and systems for sound or otherwise. http://bit.ly/1FqaZaZ

GETAWAY: – See Report – Mark was elated to report that Getaway sales in only 10 days has exceeded the 50% capacity mark already. This is double what past experience has yielded. There was much discussion relating to the weekend “Extension” of the wedding. Check with Mark Schaffer or Elizabeth Lachowicz if your situation requires special attention, or you need clarification of the reservation process. http://bit.ly/1HVADUE

A motion was made by Elizabeth, seconded and passed to adjourn the Board Meeting at 10:09 pm.

Next Meeting: 8 PM on April 5th, 2015, at ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­Gloria Friedman's home at 23 Brandywyne Dr, in Florham Park, N.J.

Although not on the Agenda, the Secretary has included a report from an Ad Hoc Committees that was submitted.

AD HOC ARTS AWARD: See report http://bit.ly/1EV69nm, and the Proclamation http://bit.ly/1O1g8Ky