October 2016

The October 4th meeting of the Board of Directors was called to order at 8 pm at the home of Pam Robinson and Bob Safranek in New Providence. Despite tonight’s riveting Clinton-Trump debate and two members recovering from health issues, the Board was out en force. Board meeting politics trump national politics, yes!

Present: Kathi Caccavale, Joanne Cronin, Lois DeRitter, Grover Kemble, Allan Kugel, Elizabeth Lachowicz, Lindsey Meyer, Chris Riemer, Jay Wilensky, and Barrett Wilson (officers and trustees); Mike Agranoff, Ken Brody, Christine DeLeon, Lori Falco, Paul Fisher, Deborah Graham, George Otto, Mitch Radler, Pam Robinson, Mark Schaffer, and Leigh Walker (committee chairs).

Absent: Pat Brangs, Mike Del Vecchio, Bob McNally, Sandie Reilly, and Ed Roffman.

Guests: Nancy Kelner, Barbara Moo, Bob Safranek

MOTIONS THIS MONTH

The Board voted to subsidize dinner for members at the Chimney Rock Inn in Gillette at the Annual Meeting on Dec. 6th. Members will pay $15 and the FP will pay the balance.

ADMINISTRATION REPORTS

Secretary

The September minutes were approved as written after Lindsey agreed to make a minor clarification.

Treasurer Written Report

Chris noted that Wells Fargo had generated a double entry which he has been unable to clear on his own, so will contact WF to resolve. This prompted jokes from some Board members regarding recent corporate shenanigans at WF. Chris reminded us that every time we make an Amazon purchase, Amazon Smile will donate a portion to the FP if we use this link: http://smile.amazon.com/ch/22-2249977. Pam asked how Chris reconciles accounts when the FP donates physical items, such as merch for the MUUF auction. Chris said the FP needs to keep records and estimated that we have about $1,200 worth of inventory. Kathi volunteered to take a merchandise inventory.

OLD BUSINESS

MUUF Service Auction

Elizabeth said that so far, the FP is donating two baskets of FP merchandise and tickets for the Nov. 5th auction. In addition, Circle Round the Sun (Jay and Marie) has volunteered to entertain during the event.

Nominating Committee

Deborah reported that the committee has three potential trustees and they plan to have a full slate ready for the November meeting.

NEW BUSINESS

Annual Membership Meeting food subsidy

Elizabeth moved “that we have a meeting and we have it at the same place we’ve always had it and that the FP pays the balance minus the $15.” [Secretary’s note: The “usual place” is the Chimney Rock Inn in Gillette and the FP customarily pays the balance of members’ meals above $15, not including alcohol. In the past, a limit to the amount the FP pays was included in the motion.] The motion was approved, with Mike A. voting his usual “nay”. Barrett has already contacted the restaurant to reserve our usual room. For Board history regarding this event, see the October 2015 minutes.

COMMITTEE REPORTS

Newsletter Written Report

George had nothing to add to his report. Kathi said that she automated the “Last Issue” and “Renew” notices by having them printed at the printer’s instead of using the hand stamps.

Community Services Written Report

Pat was absent.

Minstrel Staffing Written Report

Deborah reported on much more than Minstrel Staffing, as she has volunteered to recruit volunteers in several areas.

1) Halloween Show: The performer list is almost filled.

2) Volunteer Appreciation Event: The invitation email went out too late, she only received 22 yes responses to 150 invitations, and she has decided to postpone the event to 2017. She contacted the Madison Elks Club and if they won’t return the deposit, she’ll ask if they’ll let us apply it to a 2017 rental. Several Board members did not remember receiving the invitation and some suggested using EventBrite instead of email for invitations, since it’s much more efficient and does all the work for you. Deborah received a round of applause for all her work on this event.

3) Minstrel Staffing: She stated that she’s “at the end of my rope” with kitchen staffing and the Board offered many suggestions for change, recalling last month’s meeting (see Sept. 6, 2016 minutes). She repeated that the problem isn’t the food but rather the kitchen jobs.

Special Concerts Written Report

Pam has begun working on plans for UkeFest for 2017. The Calan Special Concert at MUUF and the Roy Book Binder House Concert at Schaffers’ were both great and well-attended. The upcoming Lil’ Rev House Concert at Schaffers’ will be held on Nov. 19 with tickets set at $15 for the concert and $20 for the workshop. The proceeds will go to Lil’ Rev toward his late wife’s medical expenses. Mark asked if anyone has ever sold tickets in advance of house concerts versus taking cash at the door. Several people replied in the affirmative and said that the FP handles it and it reduces anxiety about financial success and encourages people to show up, since they’ve already paid for tickets. Holiday (benefit) Show: Last month, we discussed splitting the proceeds with Swingin’ Tern but Pam has discovered that we’d already promised the proceeds to MUUF. She stated that in future, the Board needs to discuss room usage prior to the July meeting.

See also: Getaway report for Roy Book Binder house concert details.

Minstrel Booking Written Report

Mike A. reported a $466 profit for September and said the new simplified tally sheet is a big improvement for the volunteers. We applauded Barb Moo and John Lamb, who produced the new tally sheet. Mike declared an Agranoff Imperative (a first-time act that Mike recommends highly) for the Nov. 18 show with Mollie O’Brien and Rich Moore. Grover suggested booking younger acts to start bringing in a younger audience and said it might not work immediately but to give it time and a fair chance.

Electronic Communications Written Report

Lori had nothing to add to her report.

Horses Sing None of It Written Report

Ken had nothing to add to Ralph’s report.

Swingin’ Tern Written Report

Leigh thanked us all for coming out in spite of the “big national event going on tonight” and said that “one of these two will go on to play the Red Sox” which got a big laugh as we realized he was referring to baseball and not politics. He went on to thank Mike D. for helping improve the sound at the dances by replacing the old S&T speakers with the former Minstrel speakers. He said S&T is $3,000 ahead, which includes $5,000 in contributions, including sponsored dances, so even when there are fewer dancers, the bottom line is solid. Allan clarified that donations to S&T go into the FP general revenues and that it doesn’t matter whether S&T makes or loses money because it’s still covered by FP funds. Pam suggested S&T start an endowment but Chris quickly suggested this wait till 2017, followed by laughter from the crowd (he’s leaving the treasurer position in December). He then clarified the complications of creating a S&T endowment inside the FP account.

Membership

Eddie was absent and there was no written report.

Getaway Written Report

Mark spoke about his and Robin’s efforts to produce a balanced program at each Getaway, with enough musical and non-musical variety to appeal to everyone. To boost the guitar offerings at the fall Getaway, they added Toby Walker to conduct two workshops. He also said that although he receives a lot of advance requests for Getaway schedules, he doesn’t like to send them out because there are always changes to the final schedule. That being said, he sent one out anyway, due to requests. He also sent out email about the possible hurricane this weekend and said that Camp Bernie will give us a different weekend if the camp is closed due to the weather. In case of downpours, he plans to ferry people between buildings by car, if necessary.

Publicity Written Report

Paul had nothing to add.

Event Hosting Written Report

Christine needs alternate locations for Evenings of Music, since many of our past hosts have moved to smaller homes and can no longer accommodate a crowd. One welcome new location is the new home of former Board member Pamela Zave and Yolanda Fundora. Christine requested that the Board scope out locations, including restaurants or clubs. We need room for two separate music circles and a separate food area. She and Mike D. have held Evenings of Music at Mario’s Pizza in Randolph during warm weather when the second circle forms outside on the sidewalk under the overhang. Paul suggested an article for the newsletter and Christine said she’d write one. The holiday party is at the Humphreys’ and we need a new July 4 location for 2017.

Sound Reinforcement

Mike D. was absent and we all wish him well!

Intentions and Resources (ad hoc) Committee

Bob was absent and we all wish him well, as well!

Workers’ Compensation (ad hoc) Commission (WCC)

Barrett will be meeting with a new Worker's Comp attorney, as we continue to explore this complex area. Mark repeated his earlier contention that we don't need Worker's Comp, since if a performer tried to file a Worker's Comp claim, no attorney would take the case and no judge would allow it.

ADJOURNMENT

The meeting was adjourned at 9:49 pm. Next month’s meeting is on November 1 at the home of Allan Kugel and Cecilia Rowedder in Highland Park.

As Lori pointed out during the meeting, we didn't need to move the November meeting this year, as the election falls on the 2nd Tuesday and our meeting is on the 1st Tuesday.

Respectfully submitted,

Lindsey Meyer

Secretary