Commission plans holiday events, asks council to take craft fair; movie screenings deferred until spring

The Parks Commission agreed to ask the city council to take over the craft fair and associated fee and began detailed planning for the season of community events, including the crab feed, a craft fair, business decoration contest and tree-lighting. Unidentified Speaker 2 said the city "is not going to do these movies" and that the screening project will be postponed until the volunteer technician returns in March.

Why it matters: The items under discussion are the commission's primary fundraising and community-engagement efforts for the coming year. Decisions about who coordinates the craft fair and how events are funded affect city staff workload, volunteer roles and local businesses that benefit from event visitors.

What the commission decided and discussed - Council presentation: Commissioners agreed to seek council approval on Dec. 3 for the commission to take responsibility for the craft fair and asked volunteers to attend and show support. Unidentified Speaker 2 asked, "Does there is the commission on board with going to the council on December 3 and asking to take the craft fee?" Commissioners agreed to prepare a presentation. - Movies: The donated screen remains uninstalled and the commission lacks a compatible receiver; the volunteer technician who pledged to help is "wintering in Palm Springs" and will not return until March, so the screening project was pushed to spring. - Volunteers and outreach: Unidentified Speaker 5 reported strong volunteer interest: "Got over 20 people directly reaching out confirming that they would volunteer," and suggested inviting volunteers to appear at the council meeting to show community backing. - Crab feed and craft fair logistics: The crab feed was discussed for the third Saturday in April; commissioners reviewed sponsorships, example sponsorship tiers (e.g., a proposed $5,000 'gold' level mentioned as a funding model) and agreed to work on pricing and vendor quotes. The craft fair fee was proposed at $10 per table per day for vendors. - Business contest and tree lighting: Commissioners discussed a downtown business decoration contest tied to Small Business Saturday with suggested prize structures (examples floated: $300/$200/$100 or gift certificates). The commission set a likely application deadline in early December and a judging window around Dec. 15–17, with award announcements during the Dec. 17 meeting. The community tree-lighting was scheduled for the evening of the Friday the sixth, with children's carols and other activities.

Next steps and budget notes: Commissioners said the commission has roughly $3,000–$5,000 in discretionary funds discussed for events and that outside sponsorships and a media discount program (KATU mentioned) could reduce costs. They will finalize materials to present to council on Dec. 3, recruit volunteers to attend that meeting, and follow up on technical needs for the movie screen in March.