NEFFA News


Spring 1997 -- Volume XXIII#1
Editor: Angel Roman

Contents:


President's Message

Although it may be hard to believe in the middle of winter, the weekend of April 25 - 27 is creeping up on us. This is the issue of the News in which we traditionally ask for your help in making the Festival happen.

This year, in addition to asking you to consider volunteering to help produce the festival, we need to ask something more of everyone. Natick High School has had the floor of the main gym (our main hall) refinished. They are very concerned about keeping it in good shape, and have asked us to make sure that everyone using the hall wears clean, soft-soled, non-marking shoes. So we, in turn, are asking all of you to bring a separate pair of clean shoes to dance in. We will have chairs, brushes, and mats at each entrance to the hall, and volunteers who will check to be sure your shoes won't do damage. Please help us stay in Natick by spreading the word to all potential Festival attendees.

Another change for 1997 is that the town of Natick has paved and curbed many of the streets in the vicinity of the school. Since Natick defines legal parking as being fully off the road, this means we have no legal on-street parking associated with the Festival. Please be careful where you park your car; town police enforce their parking regulations vigorously, and no exceptions are made for special events such as the Festival. We will continue to have shuttle bus service to the Natck Labs parking lot, and we hope more of you will car pool and shuttle from that lot.

All of the above means even more tasks for willing volunteers. As you know, the Festival can't happen without your help, so we hope to see many new faces on our volunteer crew. Check it out - those who volunteer year after year can tell you how important a part of their Festival experience it is to help produce it. The volunteer recruitment form will be mailed with the NEFFA ballot at the end of March, so there is time to think about which volunteer activity you might most enjoy. And, of course, you can call the NEFFA office before that if you would like to play a greater role and become involved in the pre-Festival planning.

See you in April!

-- Nancy Hanssen, president

Important NEFFA Note re. Footwear

The floor in the Main Hall has been totally refinished. Natick High School officials are quite concerned about protecting the floor and will allow NEFFA to use the gym only if we can guarantee that the floor will not be damaged or marked.

Therefore, we will allow into the Main Hall only people wearing clean shoes that won't damage or mark the floor. So please bring clean soft-soled shoes for use in the Main Hall. In addition to having everyone wear clean, soft shoes, we will provide mats for wiping feet and one or two runners on the floor for heavily traveled walk-through areas.

Thanks for helping assure that NEFFA will continue to be able to use the Main Hall.


Important NEFFA Note re. Parking

Avoid parking problems at the Festival!

Park at the Army Natick Labs on Route 27 in Natick. Shuttle buses will run every 15 minutes throughout the Festival. Traveling south on Rte. 27 toward Natick Center, the Natick Labs are on the right about 1 mile before you reach the center of town.

-- Robert Solosko


Volunteer!

People who come to the Festival generally aren't content to be just spectators. They like to dance, and sing, and try new foods, and learn new things. The schedule of events offers ample opportunity for this, but there is a whole other side to the Festival not listed on the schedule. I am speaking to you from that other side, as one of those who has chosen to make these 'unlisted' activities part of her yearly routine.

Each year, hundreds of great people get together and make this weekend possible. Without our volunteers, the New England Folk Festival just wouldn't happen. It is a wonderful feeling, and gives you a new perspective on the entire Festival and what a truly amazing event it is.

NEFFA would like to invite you to volunteer. We need help setting up, tearing down, and all throughout the weekend. We need volunteers for Sound, Tickets, Signs, Hospitality, Arrangements, and many other facets of the Festival.

If you work one hour you get in free for a session: four hours will cover you for the entire weekend.

Look for the volunteer enclosure in the March ballot mailing, and sign up! [You can also sign up at this webpage!]

-- Nancy Hanssen


NEFFA Hospitality and Housing

The 1997 53rd New England Folk Festival is still a few months away, but it is not too soon to make arrangements for your lodging during the Festival.
At this website is a list of the lodging rates at a number of hotels and motels located in towns near the Natick High School, our Festival site. These rates are available at these hotels as of January 15, 1997 and are subject to availability. The Howard Johnson hotel is offering a NEFFA rate which is available by calling before April 4, 1997. Please make your arrangements soon. If you would like assistance in obtaining hospitality with folks in the Boston-Natick area, or if you live near the Festival site and are willing offer overnight accommodations to out of town Festival guests, please fill out this form or contact Elsa A. Elliott, 28 Grove Street, Medford, MA 02155. You can also send a SASE to Elsa to receive other transportation and accommodation information. Elsa is also available via e-mail: ModstGodds@aol.com. Thanks and look forward to seeing you in April.
-- Elsa Elliott

1997 Ralph Page Legacy Weekend

The 1997 Ralph Page Legacy Weekend at the University of NH in Durham, NH, came together so seamlessly that a first timer attendee said to me, "This seems like a relatively uncomplicated weekend to produce." A nice compliment for the committee that had worked since February, 1996, to put it together.

The Friday evening welcoming dance, emceed by Marianne Taylor, featured three callers from Maine: Nancy Raich, John McIntire and Bill Olson plus Dick Forscher, newly moved to New Hampshire after years of calling and dancing in Connecticut. The music was provided by Bob McQuillen on piano and Harvey Tolman on fiddle. Harvey specializes in Cape Breton style fiddling and the combination of fiddle, backed by impeccable contra style piano, kept everyone's feet dancing til the last waltz. Daytime sessions had dancing, discussions, and workshops for musicians. The retrospective session highlighted Ralph Page's 1966 trip to England. There was a good mix of the contemporary and traditional for both squares and contras, including the occasional dance that can be presented in this type of setting, but will not be found at your regular weekly dance.

During the weekend, Ann Pearce manned the CDSS traveling book store.

After a banquet at the New England Center, everyone gathered back at the Memorial Union Building for the Grand Dance, emceed by Tony Saletan, resplendent in white tie and tails. Other staff callers included Susan Kevra, Scott Higgs and George Hodgson. Musicians for the weekend were Bill Tomczak, Dave Langford and Mary Cay Brass playing in one group and Dave Kaynor, Bruce Rosen, Robin Kynoch and Rick Mohr in the other group, playing as Drastic Measures.

Even though Sunday session began at 9 am, (an early hour for dancers) people turned out to dance to Scott Higgs, listen to Susan Kevra talk about caller/musician interactions, or just socialize around the snack table. The afternoon dance, emceed by Sylvia Miskoe, began with Glen Bannerman calling a Southern big circle. Staff callers had one last turn; the musicians combined into one large band.

-- Sylvia Miskoe

Summary of the Minutes of the NEFFA Exec Board

8 September 1996

Call to Order (Nancy Hanssen)
The meeting was called to order by President Nancy Hanssen.

Secretary's Report (Dan Pearl)
There two corrections to the minutes of the 4 May 1996 meeting. Dan suggested that we consider instating the next chairs as of the Annual Meeting to 1) make less work for the Secretary (only one revision of the VIP list, instead of two) and 2) get the next chairs involved in the Evaluation process and even that Festival. This could take place at a special Board meeting before the Annual Meeting. A motion to approve the minutes was passed.

Treasurer's Report (Ralph Jones)
Ralph distributed a financial report. The 1996 Festival incurred a $4000 loss. Robert: The increase in custodial and kitchen supervision labor charges seems to be the main reason. Bob: Ticket sales also seem to be a bit down. Jonathan: The figures indicate no need to panic. Shelagh: The Pepsi sales figures inconsistent with attendance. Ralph: We think those figures are more related to temperature. Jonathan: The figures seem to indicate we paid more for less product. Nancy: This is a question we don't have an answer for yet.

The 1996 Ralph Page Weekend essentially broke even; there were several thousand dollars of donations to the Memorial Fund in Ted Sannella's memory.

A motion to approve the Treasurer's Report was passed. Michael: We don't have an all-inclusive budget sheet, showing committee past projections, actuals, and future proposals. Ralph: We could have some history information; this would be a good idea.Michael: This might help us do a better job budgeting. Dan: Calling committee-provided information a "budget" is overstating things. I care less how well a projection was hit than I care about the trend in actual expenses. Nancy: I request committee chairs to provide history information in their forthcoming reports.

Committee Chairs (Nancy Hanssen)
Nancy circulated the proposed committee chair list. There were some question marks in the list; assume the following, unless changed at a future meeting. Advisor: Larry Jennings (Non-Voting); Family Dance: Jacob Bloom (NV); Grants: Robert Johnson (V); Legal Advisor: Leslie Morrison (V); Membership: Bill Cochran (NV); NEFFA News: Angel Roman (Automatically voting); Publicity: Steve Boylan (NV); Ralph Page Memorial Committee: Sylvia Miskoe (chair, NV), Sam Alexander, George Fogg, Ellen Mandigo, Deanna Marvin, Don Parkhurst, Angela Taylor, Marianne Taylor, Mary Wakefield, Clay Wilcox , Peter Yarensky; Thursday Night Dance Committee: Dan Pearl (AV); Activity Room: Linda Palmstrom (AV); Arrangements [later renamed to "Inside Facilities Manager"]: Bob Solosko (AV); Signs: Diane Biglow (NV), Michael Resnick (NV); Crafts: Mary Stafford (NV); Folk Bazaar: Angela Taylor (V); Hospitality: Shelagh Ellman-Pearl (AV); Housing: Elsa Elliott (AV); Instrument Check: Michael Anthony (NV); Safety: John Wojtowicz (NV), Rayna Tulysewski (AV); Sound: Michael Bergman (V); Volunteer Sound: Sue Malspeis (NV) [It was learned after the meeting that Sue will be unavailable for this position.]

A motion to approve the above was passed by the Elected Board.

Ticket Prices
A committee convened by David Reid was charged with making a recommendation. He wants to get committee financial figures together. Dan: An intermediate strategy between the "one-year-reactive" budgeting scheme (as we are doing now) and a prognosticative budget, as you are planning, is simply to ask chairs if they expect any big change in their areas, and make necessary adjustments. Shelagh: The school-related expenses are large and have a big effect on the budget; those expenses, as a simplification, could be scrutinized.

Gender-Free Issues
Janet: We are looking for a inclusive solution that maintains goodwill. Michael: I think the "designated line for gender free" is less segregating than having a separately billed event. I didn't feel out of place when I stumbled into the GF-line. Janet: The issue is whether the people in a GF line are welcoming to all. David: If you don't allow the caller the option of creating a GF line, it won't happen. Michael/Janet: It will happen, regardless. Elsa: We think it is discourteous and distracting to a caller to have someone approach during an event requesting the creation of a GF line. David: That need not happen if it is automatic. Rayna: What is allure of GF? Same-sexed couples happens all the time at dances. Shelagh: At GF events, the calls may be different (armbands/barearms). Rayna: Having a line where armband/barearms is required is like segregating a line because of eye color. Janet: The side GF line would not use the armband convention; they'd have to keep track. You can always dance GF anywhere, but Janet will take the discussion under advisement.

Orientation Book
Final versions will be available at the October meeting.

Sound (Elsa Elliott)
General logistics were discussed at the Sound meeting. It would be easier if all concert rooms were near each other (to ease sound supervision). We don't want to burn Dan out when he leads sound workshops; we are looking for more leaders. Where can trained volunteers go to practice? We talked about volunteer recruitment. We now have a boilerplate contract form; Leslie will handle all contract work.

NEFFA Operations Task Force (Bob Solosko)
Bob presented his analysis of the Arrangements/Operations jobs, which suggested breaking down the Arrangements job into Operations Manager, Inside Facilities Manager and Outside Facilities Manager. Bob: I will continue doing Inside Facilities, and Outside Facilities (as long as someone does Outside Signs). Dan: Suggest breaking down jobs into a tree, so that related sub-job groups can be isolated and potentially assigned to individuals. Michael: The Operations Manager job hasn't been staffed before, so getting it staffed might be less important this year. Shelagh: Disagree; this is already being handled to some extent this year. Bob: The idea is that the Operations Manager handles situations that have fallen through the cracks before. They identify problems and solutions and muster other resources to carry them out. The Operations Manager will go on the VIP list as a vacant position. It was thought that experience with NEFFA was an important part of this position. Dan said that he could take it on, but adoption plans might be conflicting at Festival time. Dan opined that the Board Member on Call function goes away if we have an Operations Manager. Nancy will consider Dan for the position. Janet said that there are probably other candidates out there.

Activity Room
The room was used most heavily by families and young children. The craft table was filled constantly. The puppets and eggs were very popular, as was the string figure person. Things were really quiet on Saturday night; perhaps the room could be put to other uses during that time. On Sunday, some young boys were putting paper planes through the fans; the fans were also a threat to passersby with long hair, so I moved the fans away from the door. Maybe several small box fans would be safer than the windstorm created by a monster fan. A motion to keep using the Exercise Room as an Activity Room was passed.

Crafts Room
Some issues were raised by Mary Stafford's memo. Should craftspeople be related to the folk community? Linda: If you open it up, it becomes more unwieldy to jury. Michael: It should be composed of vendors that would attend even if they were not running a booth. Bob: The room is a service to our community, not primarily the exhibitors. Dan: Our attenders would be better served by more variety in the room. It is not necessary to draw from folk participants. Michael: It looks like a successful and popular mix to me. Something is added when you are buying from a friend from dancing/singing/whatever as opposed to buying from someone motivated only by profit. Jonathan: The crafts room provides several benefits: the merchandise, the demonstrations, and the music. I have confidence that Mary can run the room well. Demonstrations? Dan: Maybe best to avoid during high crowding periods. Bob: Are they teaching something or just allowing people to watch while they work? Some things are more appropriate than others for demonstrations. A demo might be scheduled for an hour, but you only have to attend any 20 minutes during that hour. The crafts room is best (the Activities Room is too chaotic). Dan: Could we set up a demo area in the stairwell area outside the crafts room? Michael: You lose passerby attendance; it would be less successful. Robert: Attendance varies wildly. Bob: If we knew which sessions got the most attendance, we could schedule several sessions of the same demo (to break up the crowd). Jonathan: 45 minute demos are running over an hour. Michael: Some wait until they've drawn a crowd before they start. Claire: The craftspeople need to have several versions of their product, in different stages of completion, to make their demo more efficient. Nancy: So we are in favor of generally continuous demos. Dan: I favor putting certain demos, like "Build a ___", in their own scheduled room, such as an Art Room (with tables). Crafts is part of NEFFA, just like folk music. Claire: Need to differentiate demos ("Watch me build this") from workshops ("You will build this").

Closing Time. Michael: Favor booths closing after the last dance session ends. Shelagh: If a table closes early, it's the craftsperson's responsibility. Bob: Current policy is all selling stops at 11:45pm.

Early signing of agreements OK? Jonathan: As long as Mary realizes that the contract with the school is not signed until winter.

Jurying. Nancy: Jurors should be crafters. Should they be NEFFA people? Robert: Crafts should be related to other NEFFA activities (music, song, dance). Pottery, for example, has a weaker connection. Dan: Having jurors who know what NEFFA attenders want is more important than insisting on NEFFA membership. The jurying process was set up to protect the chair from conflict of interest issues; before that, we didn't have a jury. I'd encourage Mary to do what she wants to do, even judge the room all by herself, or use trusted friends.

Grants (Robert Johnson)
We received a thank-you letter from Jacqueline Schwab for her loan. The proper repository for her recording was discussed; it was deemed that the office was the place for such items. A motion to allocate up to $5000 for the Grants Committee's awards for the upcoming year was passed.

Hospitality (Shelagh Ellman-Pearl)
Mary Etter is willing to cover Hospitality if travel plans prevent me from attending the Festival. Even if I can attend, I will be looking for additional help to supervise the table.

27 October 1996
Call to Order (Nancy Hanssen)
The meeting was called to order by President Nancy Hanssen.

Secretary's Report (Dan Pearl)
There was one correction to the minutes of the 8 September 1996 meeting. A motion to approve the minutes was passed.

Treasurer's Report (Ralph Jones)
A detailed financial report was presented. Lisa's report for T-shirts indicates that the shirts were doing better than Ralph's records indicate. It would be nice if the T-shirt report would include all expenses (e.g., mailings, phone calls, etc.). A motion to approve the Treasurer's Report was passed.

T-Shirts (Dan Pearl)
The shirt committee has met once. A proposal was presented which included timeline and budget information, as well as a proposal: A motion to authorizes the T-shirt committee the use of up to $200 to offer as an artist's commission for the T-shirt design was passed. Dan suggested that a distinctively colored shirt might be a more visible "Official" marker than a green Festival Committee badge.

Orientation Booklet (Shelagh Ellman-Pearl)
The booklet is available. The Emergency Procedures manual will be updated in the months preceding the Festival. Let us know about any problems or questions.

Arrangements (Bob Solosko)
The Operations position was not listed in the handout. Under that heading are Parking Operations and Housekeeping (sweeping, etc.). We should post a schedule of sweeping every two hours or so in the large halls. Some increases in the budget have been made to matrons, communications, pianos, etc. Dan wondered if we could lower piano costs (in the long run) by buying pianos, and having them live at the school, thus avoiding transportation costs. Janet feels that the player piano situation is difficult to keep track of: it is unclear how many helpers there are, and how many deserve tickets. Bob thinks we could put a jamming piano in the Cafeteria; Nancy says that some people want a music-free Cafeteria. Dan inquired about cot rental; people thought that gym mats on the floor, if appropriately placed, could do the job. Bob suggests that we have a "Curtain Chairman" who would work with Bob and Michael Bergman. Nancy knows of someone with a station wagon that might be interested in this. Bob said that installation of blocks and tackles would make curtain installation easy. Bob suggested a revised layout of the Small Hall. Shelagh would prefer not to use the door near Hospitality except as an emergency exit. This is the layout that people thought would work: The custodians report that the fans actually work, but the overrides are complex. We will learn how to operate them. Campus drive is now completely paved. How do we post "No Parking" signs? Hmmm... Maybe we can get the curb painted red, and stenciled with a white "No Parking". The Main Hall has been refinished, for the first time in years [Immediately after the floor was refinished, a student broke a pen on the floor, staining the finish with green ink, leaving a stain that will remain until the next refinishing.] We will talk to the school about any restrictions we have using the floor. We may have to sweep more often. Do we need shoe inspectors?

Food (Nancy Hanssen)
This area is going to be split into Arrangements (pre-Festival, run by Sandra Borden) and Operations (at Festival, run by Mary Wakefield and Don Parkhurst). A motion to approve Sandra Borden as Food Arrangements chair and Mary Wakefield and Don Parkhurst as Food Operations co-chairs (all Non-Voting) was passed. The budget will be similar to that of last year. Nancy will ask Sandy to assess the reaction to last year's booth fees, in order to set the fee schedule for 1997. We may need to do recruiting for new booths and other people to run the drink booth. Our payment to the drink booth people has not yet been made, so they are unhappy. Also, they are having trouble getting volunteers to staff the area. Leslie will research changes in health regulations for food preparation. Dan wonders why NEFFA is in the beverage business. Why is the soft-drink booth handled separately? Why couldn't we regularize the handling of the booth? Why not even have a bank of soft-drink vending machines?

Hospitality (Shelagh Ellman-Pearl)
Budget and timeline circulated.

Housing (Elsa Elliott)
Budget and timeline circulated. I am going to use housing flyers instead of cards this year. Bob suggests we now consider logistics of running a bus to local hotels.

Tickets (David Reid)
Budget circulated. All-session tickets tend to disintegrate. We are considering using Tyvek(R), or a heavier stock. We have given replacement badges on request, but it is a nuisance. Badge holders are being considered. I'd like a count of special ticket requests at the January meeting. I'll have a ticket price proposal at the December meeting.

Instrument Check (Shelagh Ellman-Pearl)
I have encouraged Michael Anthony to submit expenses for reimbursement, but he has never done so.

Safety (Rayna Tulysewski)
Budget and timeline circulated. We may want to buy some mops to take care of spills. Other expenses are low.

Program (Janet Yeracaris)
Costs are up this year, especially mailings and copying costs. March 23 is tentative ballot mailing, but we might shift because of holiday conflicts.

Volunteers (Nancy Hanssen)
Budget and timeline circulated. It is similar to last year's info.

Thursday Night Dance Committee (Dan Pearl)
The dance is very successful; we are very proud of it. We had a high of attendance of 350 (Wild Asparagus) and a low attendance of 33 (during a snowstorm, but a really fun dance nonetheless). Our average attendance is now around 220 (up from 180), and we have more young folks coming regularly.

Ralph Page Memorial Committee
Sylvia Miskoe provided a memo describing some events at the upcoming Ralph Page Legacy Weekend.

Family Dance
Jacob Bloom provided a report. The series did very well last season (but still was a net loss for NEFFA).

Nominating Committee
The committee reports that they are hard at work identifying candidates to fill vacancies. Suggestions should be forwarded to the Committee.

Miscellaneous
Jack Janssen cannot do his "job search" position, but he will find a successor for his Outside Signs job. Any suggestions for replacements? We still have not sorted out the paperwork with New Hampshire. Leslie is continuing to work on this. Our annual report has also not been filed in Massachusetts for a few years. Janet, Leslie, and Ralph will work to get this done.

8 December 1996

Call to Order (Nancy Hanssen)
The meeting was called to order by President Nancy Hanssen.

Secretary's Report (Dan Pearl)
There were three corrections to the minutes of the 27 October 1996: A motion to approve the minutes was passed.

Treasurer's Report (Ralph Jones)
Ralph gave a brief report describing recent Treasurer expenses and accounting changes.

Ralph Page Legacy Weekend
Sylvia Miskoe reports that due to a conflict with the SnowBall, the registrations are slow. Some applications have been received from a great distance because of RPLW's presence at the NEFFA website. The committee is considering video-recording a West Hopkinton, New Hampshire old-time square dance, for archival purposes. Ralph suggests that they obtain releases from the dance attenders.

Main Hall Floor
The Main Hall floor has been sanded and varnished. We have permission to use the hall with these provisions: 1) soft-soled shoes only (policed by us. We'll make announcements.); and 2) No activities that will mark the floor (for instance, clogging) will be permitted. Shelagh: What about street shoes? Bob: We will police, and have shoe-cleaning stations by the entrances. We'll put something on the flyer and in the newsletter. Michael: What about bringing in staging for, say, a clogging performance? Bob: The school says that a floor covering tends to do more damage than soft-soled shoes. Dan: Could we have a vendor sell Chinese slippers, maybe partly subsidized by NEFFA? Nancy: That might be a problem for a supplier; it's not the kind of stock they normally carry. Dan: Maybe Performer Sales is the place. Ralph: I believe socks are dangerous to dance in, and should be discouraged. Rayna: Will there be a traffic jam as people need to change shoes continually? Should we have limited access? Answer: No. Ralph: Get a shoe buffer. Dan: How about a vacuum with the motor unit in the courtyard? Nancy: We should get mats, like one finds at the entrance to office buildings. Bob: We need signs near the doors. Michael: Fine grit can be buffed away from the floor; the real problem is "rocks" embedded in the shoes. Nancy: Can we ask people to bring separate dancing shoes? Dan: I don't think the 5-minute change time is enough to sweep effectively in the Main Hall. We should probably devote some program time for real sweeping. Janet: (whimpers) Dan: How about mats at the periphery of the hall -- walkways -- so that demo spectators and through-travelers can avoid stepping on the floor? Bob: Back stands get pulled out. David: A runner can be rolled out. Bob: The stands are pulled out only for Sunday PM demos. Nancy: Maybe we can discourage through-travelers. Dan: How many of the 8 entrances to the Main Hall should we patrol? Rayna, Bob, Janet and Lori will come up with Festival flyer wording. It was suggested that the wording be as specific as possible as to what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. Nancy will emphasize the issue in her newsletter issue. Angel: Have a big lobby sign explaining the rules. Nancy: John Wojtowicz owns a shoe store. Maybe he could provide large quantities of Chinese slippers that could be sold. Angie should alert her shoe vendors that they might have increased sales. Dan: Suggest having a pre-Festival traveling road show illustrating acceptable and non-acceptable footwear. Shelagh: How much would it cost to refinish the floor? Bob: Approximately $10,000.

Sound (Michael Bergman)
A report was presented. More firm budget numbers will be available at the next meeting.

Activity Room (Linda Palmstrom)
A report was circulated. No one had a problem with the Pyanky activity leader charging a modest fee for each egg. We have a problem getting evening volunteers. Friday night was a very busy night for children; things were very quiet on Saturday night. Storage and shelving is limited; we need more storage. Ideas for crafts leaders are being solicited. Nancy: The hit of Old Songs was a dress-up corner with old fancy clothes.

Arrangements (Bob Solosko)
The contract with the school is signed. Bob will inform the school how we will protect the floor. I am still looking for an outside signs person.

Crafts
Suggestions for jurors to jury musical instruments are sought.

Bazaar
Janet reports that at least one vendor has been refused because of space constraints. She wonders whether the Bazaar could be expanded down the corridor near First Aid. Ralph suggested that we charge booths a small percentage so we can find out which booths are most popular with Festival attenders. Nancy wants to have Angie at a meeting so we can discuss issues of area expansion.

Food
Sandy is attempting to determine what booth fees should be. (If you have any information on past fees and expense information, give it to Nancy.) The Pepsi people have gotten a replacement check. There was a problem last year because Paul Clayton's previous responsibility of restocking the cooler was not covered. They'll work something out.

Hospitality (Shelagh Ellman-Pearl)
I might not be at the Festival, but I have coverage if that eventuality occurs.

Safety (Rayna Tulysewski)
All is under control. There was a discussion of procedures for supervising parking volunteers.

Program (Janet Yeracaris)
The timeline has been modified slightly. Performer Approval Grids will go out at the beginning of March.

Lisa and Janet met with members of the Gender Free community. A report listing ideas was circulated. The practice of asking callers to designate GF sets will likely not continue, now that our concerns have been communicated. Larry says that GF activities should be scheduled, and then we should find the staff. Janet: One suggestion from the meeting was to have a GF session that explored different ways of leading GF dancing. Larry: That would be great for NEFFA to do.

Tickets (David Reid)
Festival ticket prices were discussed at length and passed (see Festival flyer).

Miscellaneous
Susan Worland has requested a NEFFA mug be donated to the Mandala holiday party as a door prize. No one had any objection. Janet will convey the mug to Mandala.

If you'd like to attend a future meeting of the NEFFA Exec Board, please contact NEFFA Secretary Dan Pearl at 508-229-2854. Future Meeting Dates As of press time the following meeting has been scheduled: 16-Mar-1997. Interested NEFFA members are invited to attend.

Copyright © 1996 New England Folk Festival Association
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