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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2025-04-16 Regular MeetingApril 16, 2025 STATE OF TEXAS COUNTY OF TARRANT CITY OF GRAPEVINE The Grapevine Heritage Foundation (GHF) held their regular scheduled monthly meeting at 5:00 p.m. on Wednesday, April 16, 2025, in the 2nd Floor Grand Hall of the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau, 636 South Main Street, Grapevine, Texas 76051. Present were: Melva Stanfield Frances Jensen Stephanie Wright Wendy Nelson Balla Wright Courtney Fray David Stine Duff O'Dell Chairman Vice -Chairman Treasurer Secretary Board Member Board Member Board Member City Council Liaison The above constitutes a quorum, absent was: Austin Kellerman Board Member Kim Hale Board Member With the following Convention & Visitors Bureau staff present: Paula Newman CVB Managing Director of Operations David Klempin Heritage Preservation Programs Manager Kayce Vanderpool Heritage Preservation Programs Secretary Kimberly Wageman-Prack Nash Farm Coordinator 1. CALL TO ORDER AND CITIZEN COMMENTS Chairman Melva Stanfield called the meeting to order at 5:01 p.m. Citizen Comments Any person who is not scheduled on the agenda may address the Grapevine Heritage Foundation under Citizen Comments by completing a Citizen Appearance Request form. In accordance with the Texas Open Meetings Act, the Advisory Board is restricted in discussing or taking any action during Citizen Comments. No Citizens in attendance. 2. WELCOME Chairman Stanfield welcomed the CVB staff and the GHF Board members. 3. MINUTES FOR APPROVAL Courtney Fray moved to accept the minutes from the March 19. 2025 regular meeting. Balla Wright seconded the motion. Minutes approved with a vote of: Ayes: 7 (Stanfield, Jensen, Nelson, S. Wright, B. Wright, Fray, Stine) Nays: 0 None Absent: 2 (Kellerman, Hale) GHF Minutes April 16, 2025 April 16, 2025 4.OLD BUSINESS A. Membership Report — David Klempin David Klempin presented the membership report for March. The total of March membership is 170. In donations we received $100. There were some sponsorship funds that came in, but it was in April. B. Sponsorship Report — Stephanie Wright Treasurer Stephanie Wright reported that we have new sponsors Laura Kellerman Studio and Councilwoman Duff and Patrick O'Dell. Beth Maries Old Fashioned Ice Cream will be an in -kind sponsor for the "Ice Cream Social" by providing 25 gallons of vanilla ice cream, approved by Kimberly Prack. Once all sponsorship commitments are paid we will have $29,250. for the year. Chairman Stanfield said thank you to Stephanie Wright and Balla Wright for the hard work lining up sponsorships, we have come a long way in sponsorships and we appreciate it. The "Spring Fundraiser Dinner" was a great success. Wendy Nelson shared with the board that, previous doner and festival volunteer Stacy Holt is planning on donating a check from his employer AMICA for his volunteer hours. C. Palace Theatre Report- Frances Jensen Frances Jensen reported that the CVB had an all staff meeting at the Palace Theatre. She gave an introduction about the history of the Palace Theatre, the same introduction she gives before movies for the past 11 years. The First Friday movie for April was "Singing in the Rain" and 125 people attend. This Friday night is Hitchcock night with "To Catch a Thief' it always brings out the Hitchcock fans. Mrs. Jensen said that in November, the Palace Theatre will be celebrating its 851h Anniversary. They are planning something for this celebration. Paula Newman shared a list of the upcoming Palace events and reported that there were 35 events in March that included Spring Break cartoon and crafts activities. There were 3,399 people that visited the PAC in March. David Klempin thanked Frances Jensen for the introduction of the Palace and said she did a great job with the presentation. D. Nash Farm Report — Melva Stanfield and Kimberly Prack Melva Stanfield reported in March, First Friday "Spring on the Farm" had 242 people in attendance; There was one leisure tour with 20 visitors from Wisconsin; one school tour had 113 students; Home School Day had 241 people: Spring break has had 1,349 attendees with over 200 paid activities purchased; The Biscuits and Butter Workshop scheduled for March 22 was sold out; for March the casual visitation was 3,427 and the total visitation to date was 4,265. Kimberly Prack is missing staff, she has some part-timers and volunteers that help her keep the farm running and doing a great job. April's First Friday "Spring Fling" brought in 91; three school tours brought in 331, 4 more school tours are scheduled; Homeschool day registration is at 123; Spring Fundraiser Dinner had 55 participants; 3 groups brought in 40 people; casual visitation is at 524; total 1,164 visitors. We want to say the Spring Fundraiser Dinner was a wonderful night. She thanked, Balla Wright and Grapevine Golf Cars, the Wines were good and we had great weather. She also thanked Stephanie Wright for all the hard work. 2 GHF Minutes April 16, 2025 April 16, 2025 Kimberly Prack shared a Spring into Nash activity list and said that he GHF Board table activity will be the Hectograph. There will also be a Chuck Wagon Cooking lesson with Jason Harris, Friday the night before Spring into Nash after 5 p.m. with a pot of beans, biscuits, cornbread and bread pudding. They will feed the volunteers coming in from out of town. Southwest Dairy is coming back again. Janice Williams with the International Porcelain Artists & Teachers Museum will have a painting activity. E. Update on Nash Farmhouse foundation repair- David Klempin Mr. Klempin reported that the foundation repair work for Nash Farmhouse is scheduled to begin tomorrow. The piers are already poured and should be a day and a half of work to finish the project. F. Update on the GHF Strategic Planning Work Plan assignments and committees - Melva Stanfield Melva Stanfield asked for updates on the different board assignments to keep the Strategic Plan moving forward: Courtney - Messaging Strategy to increase awareness & Branding. The Committee Members Courtney Fray, Kimberly Prack and Austin Kellerman; working on a messaging strategy, what resonates with the target audience to share the compelling story of the preserved buildings and stories. The story, the GHF protected the Palace Theatre and Nash Farm property, we are the reason the properties are here. They would be gone if we didn't save them. Courtney also reported on the Why be a Protector program — She has created a new field trip guide for the elementary schools. This includes a plan to visit Nash Farm, Settlement to City, the Train Depot, the Palace Theatre and the Observation Tower. This program could help with creating the next generation of preservationists. David Stine suggested that there could be different levels of tours. This could create preservationists and present them with a badge. Duff O'Dell suggested a Garden Club that would have a cost to join this group. Kimberly Prack said there is a farm to table high school club where they eat the food they grow. Stephanie Wright is working to Increase Attendance to Sell Out. She gave an update that the Biscuits and Butter Workshop was a sellout. The committee is working with the Social Media and Marketing team to push and track the event sales. David Stine is working to Expand Exhibits & Self -Guided Tours. His committee want to find people who served in the military or famous people who are from Grapevine and record their story to create a recognition display, it could be portable or a permanent display. Wendy Nelson is reported on Tie the Why to Festivals, she said she is working with Stephanie Wright and Leigh Lyons. Balla Wright reported on the Speaker's Bureau. She would like to make a small video showcasing the history of the Palace Theatre and Nash Farm including the efforts of the community in their restorations. She also wants to include the restored homes of the Historic District to show off all the work this community has put into the preservation of the homes in this Historic District. This video could be shared with different organizations, and at the beginning of the Palace Events and more. 3 GHF Minutes April 16, 2025 April 16, 2025 5. NEW BUSINESS A. Recognition for contributions to protecting the Nash Farmhouse and its surroundings — David Klempin and Paula Newman Paula Newman and David presented a framed certificate of appreciation to The Wright Construction Company Inc.— to Balla Wright and Stephanie Wright. Paula Newman shared that the Grapevine Convention & Visitors Bureau Advisory Board would like to extend their extreme appreciation for their continued support of the Grapevine Heritage Foundation and the incredible contribution of drainage improvement work at the historic 1859 Nash Farmstead. A project that greatly improves the visitor experience and extends the life of this historic property. Chairman Stanfield left the meeting at 5:51 p.m. and Vice -Chairman Jensen continued the meeting. B. GHF Upcoming Events and Activities- Melva Stanfield David Klempin reported the coming plans to host a GHF Porch Party (we could change the name) to get community spirit built up. This would be GHF going to them, Balla Wright has offered her house on College Street. We could send out a postcard to invite everyone in the Residential Historic Township, about 330 homes. Stephanie Wright said that there are many new people who have moved in and don't know anything about the uniqueness of the Township History or the Grapevine Heritage Foundation. Duff O'Dell said it would be great to share the history of the houses, it would provide a great education to the property owners. Wendy Nelson suggested having it twice a year, later have one at the PAC in the Lancaster Room for the merchants. 6. LIAISON REPORTS A. City Council Liaison Update — Duff O'Dell Councilwoman Duff O'Dell reported that during the recent executive session they were actively planning new things for the Christmas Capitol of Texas. There are many safety concerns during the festivals and Christmas they have planned for more security measures. There is an upcoming Sister City Mission to Barassa Valley, Australia with 7 Grapevine representatives who will be traveling to attend. The City Council and local Daughters of the American Revolution chapter will co -host an event, Thursday May 8th, for the 80th anniversary of the Victory in Europe Day with a V-E Red Lantern Event at 9 a.m. representing the red bloodshed during the war II. June 14th is Flag Day, there will be a Flag Retirement Ceremony at Nash Farm. June 141h is the 250th anniversary of the US Army. April 21st the Grapevine Historical Society will have a program for the history of the Broadway Theatre with a showcase of local actors, artists and volunteers at 7 p.m. at the Vine. B. Grapevine Convention and Visitors Bureau Liaison Report — Paul W. McCallum Paula Newman reported the sales team has been busy with sales missions. The Marketing and Communications team made a video that was filmed at Nash Farm, it is currently being pushed on social media. The 41 st Annual Main Street Fest is coming up on May 16, 17, 18. We have a new sponsor this year Kubota, they will have a display in the Depot area with many tractors and equipment. Neal McCoy will be the headliner for MSF Friday Night. Downtown Feaver presented by Emerald City will be headlining on Saturday night. During the festival we will increase security by hardening the event perimeter. The Bushong Cabin Dedication Ceremony will be Saturday May 17th at 11:30 a.m. during Main Street Fest, 4 GHF Minutes April 16, 2025 April 16, 2025 Grapevine has achieved the status as a "Tourism Friendly Texas Certified Community" from Travel Texas an organization to encourage communities across Texas to pursue tourism and an economic development strategy. 7. ADJOURNMENT David Stine moved to adjourn the meeting; Courtney Fray seconded the motion. The meeting was adjourned at 6:19 p.m. with the following vote: Ayes: 6 (Jensen, Nelson, S. Wright, B. Wright, Fray, Stine) Nays: 0 None Absent: 3 (Stanfield, Kellerman, Hale) The next regular meeting will be held June 18, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. PASSED AND APPROVED APRIL 16. 2025 MINUTES BY THE GRAPEVINE HERITAGE FOUNDATION, ON THIS, THE 21 ST DAY OF MAY 2025. APPROVED: Lam. CHAIRMAN ATTEST:VaAUVGANJDiP:&SECRETARY 5 GHF Minutes April 16, 2025