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Monroe committee finalizes plan to fill and place 480 luminaria for July Fourth
Summary
The Monroe CT 250 committee set dates and volunteer plans to collect sand, fill 480 luminaria bags and place them on July 4; bagging is scheduled for June 28 at a volunteer’s garage and sand pickup for June 24 from the public works pile. Funding and site assignments were confirmed.
The Monroe CT 250 committee on June 18 finalized logistics to prepare 480 luminaria for the town’s July Fourth observance, setting a sand pickup on June 24 and a bagging party on June 28 at a volunteer’s address.
The chair told members, “We have 480 luminari,” and led planning for two work parties: an initial sand-collection trip from the public works sand pile and a later session to fill and store bags for distribution. The chair named Donna Lynn Wales as host for the June 28 bagging party and said volunteers will be emailed precise directions and arrival times.
Why it matters: the luminaria are a visible, volunteer-run element of Monroe’s bicentennial celebrations; the committee coordinated supplies, volunteer time and staging to ensure bags are placed on July 4 without creating post-event litter.
Committee members discussed container sizes and transport—Home Depot-style orange buckets were proposed for the initial sand move—and drying techniques for damp sand. One member warned that if sand is bagged while still wet “they’re gonna rip by the time we put them out on 4th,” and volunteers agreed to spread and flip the sand in a garage to dry it before bagging.
Plans and schedule: the committee set a two-step plan: a sand-collection run (targeted June 24, meet at the public works sand receptacle) and a bagging “sand party” at 3 p.m. on June 28 at Donna Lynn Wales’ address. Members arranged a caravan of vehicles and a plan to divide the green-area sites for placement on July 4 early in the morning (around 8 a.m.), with lights/ candles to be turned on that evening at about 7:30 p.m. Retrieval of the luminaria was set for July 5 at members’ convenience to avoid lingering debris.
Funding and materials: the chair reviewed related finances during the meeting: the committee received a $750 grant from Connecticut Humanities (processing for deposit), issued a $200 check to the Monroe Women’s Club for luminaria materials, and noted flag purchases of $1,463 and a $2,000 transfer from the bicentennial account that left a dedicated event balance of $251.98 for final expenses.
Site assignments and volunteers: the committee identified 10 luminaria sites and agreed to divide seven sites near the green (library, town hall, churches, Masonic Hall) among volunteers. Members agreed to bring boxes or Tupperware for transporting filled bags and to coordinate pickup and drop-off points via email.
Next steps: volunteers will confirm availability for the June 24 sand run and the June 28 bagging session; the chair will circulate the host address and a site map to ensure coverage for all locations on July 4.
