MEMPHIS AREA BLUEGRASS ASSOCIATION

MEMBERS MEETING

September 2, 2004

AGENDA

President’s Opening Comments – Bob Waters

20 members in attendance

 

Interim Secretary’s Report – Bob Waters for Pat Cooper

Accepted as read.

 

Treasurer’s Report – Sam Ketchum for Craig Yarbrough

Accepted as read (with outstanding bills noted)

 

Committee Reports:

   Communications – Wayne Morris

      Yahoo News Group – Mike Albert

      Website – Keith Carter

         Adobe software purchase (to open Webpage) will be discussed at next meeting by

            Wayne Morris

      NewsGrass

         Consensus to initiate Standard Bulk mailing for NewsGrass (initiation cost, annual fee, $0.28/NewsGrass

         Advertisements (Lonnie Gaither): Committee chaired by Lonnie (members Jim Phillips, Ford Colclasure) to devise new advertisement rates for NewsGrass. New proposed rates for full page ($60/monthly, $600/yearly), half page ($30/monthly, $300/yearly), quarter page ($20/monthly, $200/yearly), card size ($10/monthly, $100/yearly). Motion made (Lonnie Gaither, seconded by Mark Winborn) to accept new rates. Motion passed.

 

         Advertisement fees collected from Music Town. Format change for Music Town ad.

 

         Thanks to Fan Williams for distributing NewsGrass at Saturday jam. Fifty copies of NewsGrass were handed out at a savings of $18.50 for MABA.

 

   Activities – Glenn Malchow

         Fall Picnic (Glenn Malchow) October 16th picnic. New Shelby Farms pavilion rental fee of $200, up from $100 from last few years. Suggestion that Freeman Park (Bartlett) be considered for 2005 annual picnic.  Glenn will check to see whether barbecue chef-supreme (Eric) might be available to cook at the picnic.

 

 

         Riverfest (John Gay)

            Publicity: Dianne Bates will provide a festival write-up in her Gulf Coast paper. Bill Ellis Playbook will list us in the Commercial Appear Playbook. Marty Scarbrough will do radio interview with John Gay and Bob Waters for his Jonesboro station. We have not been as successful with the Commercial Appeal (CA) Community Section as our contact, Ginny Stone, has left this section and has been replaced by David Boyd.

Helen Davis will attempt to get some publicity in the Bartlett section of the CA. Cliff Albright will contact the Southaven paper editors. John’s wife will contact the East Memphis CA editor for inclusion in the community section. Raleigh Caine is working on securing airtime on Channel 3 on Sept 21st to promote the festival.

 

            Mark Winborn and Bob Waters will do press release.

 

            Sound: Cliff will talk with Strings and Things; sound, banners, someone to run it.

 

            Sponsors: Charlotte has received contributions from several vendors in the amounts of $50–$200.

 

            T-shirts; Karen Hudson has priced T-shirt and logo costs. We will order 200 shirts that will sell for $11–12/shirt.

 

            Vendors: We still need to have vendors for the festival.

 

            Deadline for band pictures will be September 6th.

 

            Melanie, our Mud Island liaison-person, has secured 30 parking passes for band member parking.

 

   Regulatory – (James Johnson) no report.

 

   Membership – (Helen Davis) no report.

 

   Education – (Cliff Albright) Cliff will look into arranging a guitar workshop in the near future.

 

   GRASS – (Bonnie Dumas) no report.

 

   Lucy Opry – (Beth Mays, Woody Marshall) no report. Bob Waters reminded everyone about the Blue Highway performance on September 18th and encouraged all to attend.

 

   Welcoming/Caring – (Loyce Smith, Jo Edith & James Hudson, Erna Wheeley) Updates on Bert Weesner (surgery), Paul Copeland (laser eye surgery), John Gentry (arthritis). Loyce asked us to keep these people in our prayers.

No cards for; Bert had surgery in ICU; will be in intensive care

 

New Business:

 

   Nominating Committee for Officers, 2005 has been formed. Members include current officers along with Cliff Albright, Jim Milford, and Mike Kisner.

 

   MABA is scheduled to return to the Agri-Center on October 9th Beth Mays and Jim Phillips are coordinating the event. We will play between 10:00 to 2:00. Reminder made that we had our humble beginnings at the Agri-Center.

 

   Cordova retreat Jim Milford

 

   Larry Bomar reminded that IBMA will be held on Oct 2nd Thursday through Sunday and encouraged all to attend. There will be plenty of bands and workshops.

 

Meeting adjourned at 8:23 pm