Live Oak commissioners review annual events; staff keep core formats while noting tweaks

Live Oak Parks and Recreation Commission members met May 20 to review this year’s calendar of community events and offer staff feedback on operations, volunteer needs and modest changes for next year.

The commission spent the bulk of the meeting going event by event, starting with the spring “Extravaganza/Movie in the Park.” Courtney Lee, parks staff, said the event now combines an evening egg hunt followed by a movie and that staff are increasingly using food trucks rather than handing out free food. “We put out 20,000 eggs this year,” Lee said, and staff pre-stuffed giveaway bags in advance to speed distribution. Commissioners and volunteers praised the move to food trucks — typically five to six per event — while urging better vendor access and clearer crowd signage to reduce confusion during hunts.

Commissioners pressed for clearer on-site announcements to manage lines and age-group staging. Commissioner Daniel Buncher and Commissioner Brian suggested using the DJ more actively to call age groups and timing; Commissioner Brian said the food-truck count “is the right amount” so vendors have a chance to sell during the short service window. Several commissioners asked staff to consider raised or better-placed directional signs and to keep the late egg-run option for families who arrive after an initial hunt.

Discussion on volunteers focused on staffing needs the day of events. Lee said staff and volunteers together typically need roughly 20 people to man fields, entrances and volunteer stations for the egg hunt, with additional volunteers used to stuff bags and help at the information table. Lee described a shift this year toward stuffing bags before the event (staff pre-stuffed 500 bags and had supplies for roughly 850 distributions).

The commission also reviewed Armed Forces Day, held on the third Saturday in May. Commissioners praised turnout and local business participation; staff reported the city provided small giveaways (fans, flags) and that local restaurants volunteered to hand out items to families. Commissioners suggested additional ways to honor local veterans at future parades, such as ride-along spots for selected retirees. Commissioner Mario recommended adding a visible Live Oak flag giveaway to boost community pride during the route.

Junior Fishing Day — scheduled for the first Saturday in June this year — drew positive comments about attendance and programming. Parks staff reported 225 children participated last year and that a $500 contribution from a local business (noted in the meeting as “the Kwan”) helps fund door prizes. Staff and commissioners noted the lake can be dry at times and urged continued safety messaging about pond edges and erosion; several commissioners supported adding fishing instruction and outreach material from Texas Parks and Wildlife at future events.

Shindig on Chinook, the city’s large fall festival, generated sustained discussion. Commissioners described it as Live Oak’s premier event and debated whether to expand or rebrand it to pull in new audiences. Suggestions included more local-school performances, alternative headline acts, additional daytime family programming and possibly shifting the date closer to Halloween to create a stronger seasonal identity. Several commissioners urged exploring contracted attractions (for example, a larger carnival footprint or contracted game operators) rather than expanding solely with volunteers.

Down Home Christmas drew favorable comments about the ticketed photo system, hot chocolate and partner giveaways (donuts, holiday treats). Commissioners recommended emphasizing Live Oak branding on printed photos and giveaways and improving PA coverage so Santa ticket numbers can be announced clearly from across the event grounds. Staff said Santa photos and the ticket system proved popular but asked for suggested improvements to sound projection and volunteer staging.

Commissioners thanked staff and volunteers for execution and said the recurring theme was to preserve what works while making targeted changes: better signage and PA announcements, clearer vendor windows, more strategic volunteer assignments and a small number of contracted attractions for the largest events. Staff will incorporate the suggestions into next year’s planning and the commission encouraged continued use of local vendors and community groups.

Ending: Commissioners closed the events discussion with general thanks to staff and volunteers and moved on to a separate agenda item about project priorities for the city’s park master plan.