Carmel-by-the-Sea commission reviews fall events, lays out volunteer plan for Dec. 5 holiday celebration

Carmel-by-the-Sea’s Community Activities Commission spent the meeting reviewing after-action reports for several fall events and mapping volunteer and safety needs for upcoming holiday programming.

Chair Lehi opened the meeting and asked staff to summarize recent events. Leslie, the commission’s staff lead, reported the tenth annual Pumpkin Roll on Oct. 25 ran smoothly: “we rolled over 800 pumpkins down Ocean Avenue into a green waste provided dumpster,” Leslie said, and staff closed the roll about 1:15 p.m. to clean up and reopen the street. Leslie also thanked volunteers and local groups who helped run events and noted a few logistical items to address next year, including staging and sound.

Commissioners focused much of the discussion on parade logistics and crowd flow after Leslie’s reports. The Oct. 31 Halloween parade had intersections blocked and staffed by public works and police, but officials cited congestion when an unplanned proposal moment briefly halted the procession. Commissioners suggested several fixes for next year: bringing in a small sound system (powered by a generator), improving staging to get walkers into the correct positions, and exploring a Saturday schedule to boost attendance.

Leslie reported the city’s 109th birthday bash in the park distributed about 300 hot dogs and bags of chips and that Sunset Center and local volunteers helped manage the celebration. The Carmel High School shoe parade ran about nine minutes; staff and commissioners discussed shortening or modifying the route to reduce traffic impacts while preserving school participation.

Leslie also summarized the Nov. 11 Veterans Day ceremonies, saying the World War I arch was rededicated and the Del Monte brass performed; staff noted printed programs ran out and recommended ordering more next year.

Public commenter Michelle praised the parade and said participating groups found it well organized. “I was in the Carmel Cares, part of the parade and it went really smoothly,” Michelle said.

The commission moved into operational planning for two near-term events. Leslie outlined the Home Crafters vendor fair: volunteers are asked to arrive early (about 4:30 a.m.) to place color-coded cones and guide vendors; vendors begin arriving around 5:30 a.m. and the show runs 9 a.m.–3 p.m. Leslie said the fair will include roughly 75–80 vendors, with more than half returning from prior years, and that vendors receive a detailed welcome packet with booth assignments.

For the Dec. 5 holiday celebration, Leslie gave a timeline: lights in the park and median will be up before Thanksgiving; Santa arrives at 3 p.m. and tours town; a menorah lighting is planned for 4 p.m.; stage events begin at 4:30 p.m.; Del Monte brass is scheduled to perform; and the council typically lights the tree about 5:45 p.m. The commission discussed crowd management and chair/bench placement for Santa and agreed staff will finalize logistics, chairs and staging.

Commissioners asked about handing out food or beverages during the tree-lighting event. Leslie advised that the health department’s rules make temporary food distribution complicated for short events; historically the commission has handed out individually wrapped items such as candy canes to avoid permitting issues.

Administrative items: the commission approved the minutes of the Oct. 14, 2025 regular meeting by roll call (votes recorded as yes from Katie Ania, Ellen Martin, Judy Refreso and Maria Ruse). Commissioners also discussed whether to hold the regular December meeting on Dec. 9 or to schedule a special meeting on Dec. 16 so staff can finalize the commission’s drafted vision and mission before January.

Next steps include finalizing dates and locations (Leslie will confirm the chief’s listening session date and finalize logistics for Dec. 5), recruiting volunteers for early-morning vendor setup and load‑out, and bringing the vision/mission draft for commission review at the next meeting.