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Commission advances Juneteenth and Multicultural Festival planning; vendors, volunteers and a $3,000 fatherhood grant pursued
Summary
The commission reported vendor sign-ups for Juneteenth, set an April 15 registration deadline for retail vendors, discussed volunteer recruitment and media outreach, and formed a multicultural festival task force for a Sept. 13 event. Staff is pursuing up to $3,000 in state grant funds for a fatherhood-focused program component.
Huber Heights Culture and Diversity commissioners provided updates and next steps for three upcoming community events: Juneteenth (to be held on Father’s Day), a multicultural festival scheduled for Sept. 13, and potential participation in the city’s July Fourth parade.
For Juneteenth, the planning team reported eight food trucks registered, one snow-cone vendor, and multiple retail vendor prospects. Organizers set an April 15 registration target for retail vendors to submit paperwork and commit to participation. Several vendors’ W-9 forms were still outstanding and organizers said they were following up to secure required tax forms.
"Right now, we have eight trucks," a planning volunteer said during the update. Staff also approved posting a volunteer sign-up link on Huber Heights Facebook pages, subject to confirmation by the city liaison, and commissioners discussed promoting the event through local television and other media. The commission emphasized in-person outreach: members will attend an upcoming city council meeting and local arts/parks meetings to recruit volunteers and retail participants.
Organizers reported a singer originally scheduled to perform at Juneteenth will be out of town; the planning team is seeking a replacement. The commission discussed assigning volunteers on the day of the event to staff an information tent, check on vendors, and help with logistics.
Separately, commissioners confirmed a task force for the Multicultural Festival. Commissioners named Byron Rogers, Yolanda Stevens and Mia Trotter as initial task force members; staff said they will add the parks manager and set a meeting time after 6 p.m. to accommodate working members. The multicultural festival is scheduled for Sept. 13; staff and the task force plan to finalize logistics in the coming weeks.
The planning team is also pursuing up to $3,000 in state grant funds to underwrite a fatherhood-focused component of the Juneteenth program and has coordinated with Mike Newsome from the Montgomery County Fatherhood Initiative to participate at the event and provide literature and services if funding is awarded. Organizers said they had submitted grant prompts to their grant firm and planned to file the application before a Tuesday deadline.
Commissioners discussed outreach strategies to boost attendance; last year’s Juneteenth drew an estimated 800 attendees, and planners want to broaden grassroots outreach and partner promotions to increase participation.
Commissioners also discussed whether the commission should have a presence in the city’s Fourth of July parade, including walking with a banner or riding in a vehicle; staff said they would email commissioners to determine interest.
The commission asked staff to maintain a vendor and paperwork checklist, secure required W-9s, and confirm media outreach and volunteer posting permissions before promoting the event widely.
Votes and next steps included confirming the April 15 vendor registration timeframe and moving forward with volunteer recruitment and media outreach pending staff confirmation.
