Delano Herald Journal

Serving the communities of Delano, Loretto, Montrose, MN, and the surrounding area

Planning underway for revised festival in Winsted



A lively discussion concerning volunteer hours and division
of profits took place at Wednesday’s Winsted Festival Steering Committee
meeting.

From the onset, committee Chairman Brad Millerbernd urged
the steering committee members to “act as a member of the committee,
not as a representative from an individual organization.”

“We are here because we want to be involved. We are
here to steer this event, not for our own agenda,” said Millerbernd.

Because of the reorganization of the festival, the committee
decided that this year’s festival would be a two day event – Saturday,
Aug. 11, and Sunday, Aug. 12.

The biggest, and most heated discussion was the debate
over who would run which concessions, and how profits would be divided.

After much discussion, it was decided that the fairest
way to handle the subject is having the event profits divided between the
participating organizations depending upon how many hours are worked by
each group. A group that works 70 hours would not receive as much of the
end profits, as another group that worked 200 total hours.

The groups working the most hours would receive a pre-determined
percentage of the profits, after a set amount of seed money is removed to
set aside for next year’s event. The percentage has not yet been determined.

Committees were established to streamline the division
of work necessary to have the festival.

The heads of the committees will be in charge of eliciting
help with the tasks of each committee, such as supplies, set-up, workers
in the booth during the event, and clean-up.

Committee members chose different work areas, based on
their interest and areas of expertise.

An effort was made to pair participating members of the
Martin Krueger American Legion Post 407 of Winsted, the event’s founders,
with new committee members so their experience and knowledge could be passed
along.

Ideas about prior fundraising efforts, advertising, and
things such as parade duties were discussed.

Dick Genty of the American Legion outlined the events list
from previous years, detailing what days the events occurred, and what time
various stands opened.

The traditional Winsted Fire Department pancake breakfast
will be Sunday morning, and the parade will be Sunday afternoon.

Other items being considered are kiddie events, a car show
for Sunday, two bands, ball games, and maybe, an antique boat show.

The food stand and beer tent have been traditionally located
behind the Legion pub. Interest was expressed in moving some of the activities
over to Mill Reserve Park.

“We’re not bound by some preconceived notion of how
things need to be run. We don’t have to run the festival the way it was
done in the past. We want to try new things, not reinvent the wheel, but
we want to move toward the park,” said Dale Maus.

Matt Podhradsky reported on the insurance requirements
to have the event fall under the city’s existing policy. The policy covers
events held on city grounds.

More investigation will be done concerning alcohol liability
coverage, and if special training is required for those who will sell beer.

It was made clear that if the event was insured under the
City of Winsted’s policy, then parts of the festival couldn’t be separated
and insured under the Legion’s policy.

The events annual parade, which has featured more than
150 floats in previous years, will also be covered under the city’s insurance.

– The resignation of Mary Ann Neumann as treasurer was
accepted. Gary Rathmanner was appointed the new treasurer.

– Different types of bands (country or rock) are being
considered, with perhaps rock music one day, and country music the next.

– The queens will take care of the facilities for the coronation.

– A checking account will be established at Community Bank
in Winsted. $1,000 is being loaned from a committee member for the purpose
of start-up capital. Gene Hausladen, representing the Winsted Watershed
Lake Association, spoke of a possible donation from that organization.

– It was proposed that a reasonable rental fee be paid
to the Legion for things such as roasters, electrical equipment, tables,
and other items.

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