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Our last Holleyfest Planners meeting,
held July 17 in the balmy backyard of
J.F. & Cheryl Williams
(Cheryl’s Lasagna was a homerun sell-out!!!), brought us ever closer
to that soon to be weekend of aviation festivities.
John Oakland, Coordinator of our 6th
Annual Holleyfest, confirmed that everyone knew each other, extended
much thanks to our hosts and passed the baton to Holleyfest
Co-coordinator, Joe Marshall.
As a number of Holley Mountain Airpark property owners were present,
the Holleyfest event being something they take it upon themselves to
coordinate and co-produce, Joe responded to questions and gave
clarification on proposed changes to property owners association
by-laws that would soon be coming up for a vote.
Getting back to the Holleyfest topic, Joe reported that the “tag
line” recommended by the committee appointed to develop one was
“Your Good Neighbor” and all were in agreement to adopt it. Also,
there was general agreement about possibly getting this phrase
imprinted on vests and hats that volunteer “Staff” personnel use
during Holleyfest.
“Holleyfest is all about being a good neighbor to the community,”
John commented. Affirming that, “Yes, this event itself is about
airplanes and flying, food and fun. But, it is also a chance to let
our surrounding communities know that we are a vibrant, contributing
and supportive group of people. We are good families supporting
communities like everyone else, and Holleyfest is our way to invite
our neighbors over to ‘our place’ to have some fun and get to know
us.”
A point-by-point review of the master planning list confirmed that
everyone seems to know pretty much who is doing what, except for
help with litter control and clean-up which is being sought. Anyone
with ideas or suggestions about groups that might like to get
involved in this community service, contact Clarence Phillips,
501-745-8700 or
csvj@hypertech.net
One change made to previously published Holleyfest updates is that
the Fire Station Dedication Ceremony will NOT take place at the fire
station, but as a safety precaution will instead take place on the
same side of the runway as all other Holleyfest activities which
are, as of this writing, confirmed to include:
K.D. BBQ will custom cook during the entire event, providing a
variety of food service options “cash bar” style on site, beginning
on Thursday, October 7, during event set-up, and continuing through
the close of the event. Anyone wanting to reserve a BBQ Plate Lunch
for Saturday’s noon-time meal (or participate in the PACE program)
should fill out the online Holleyfest 2004 registration form asap.
Bill Collom has a great plan going for vendor booths and anyone (who
knows anyone) wanting a 12’x12’ open air spot @ $15 for the duration
of the event (including camping privileges) should immediately give
Bill a call at 501-745-8700 or email
bcollom@artelco.com
A big change this year is that the Collom hangar will be reserved
exclusively for pilot education programs and aviation-related
exhibits. To better accommodate the comfort of visitors and guests,
a community lunch tent with tables and chairs will be available to
all.
The Digital Photo Contest is on again, as are the standard fare of
children’s games and associated fly-in/camp-out activities. Special
this year on Friday night, Steve Trawick & Cotton Nixon, widely
known as “Cotton Patch,” will vocalize honky-tonk ballads and
country melodies accompanying themselves on fiddle and guitar.
The Friday night storytelling session around the campfire will be
led by Jim Collom, Keith Wingad and Mac McFarlin. Also, Sid King of
KGFL-KHPQ will be sharing his first-hand “tall tale” account of the
Damascus Missile Crisis – known around here as “That time when Van
Buren County, Arkansas, almost became a big fat hole in the ground.”
Saturday’s educational agenda includes a Wings Safety Program, a
presentation by the State of Arkansas Department of Aeronautics, a
program by Jonesboro AFSS, and an appearance by Air-Evac 30 out of
Vilonia. Event safety support is being provided by the Van Buren
County Rescue Squad and the FAA will be offering a complimentary
Pilot & Aircraft Courtesy Evaluation (PACE) program.
Highlighting late Saturday morning, the award winning Ladies
Auxiliary VFW District 6 Color Guard led by General Karen Smorol
will formally Present the Colors, and a special guest appearance by
Lt. Gov. Win Rockefeller is hoped for.
Saturday will conclude with an Awards Ceremony, giving meritorious
notice to such things as the oldest plane, oldest pilot, youngest
pilot, furthest distance flown, etc., and the drawing for the
special Pilot’s Door Prize.
Reflecting on the meeting, John Oakland explained that as first-time
coordinators, he and his and spouse Carol’s “anxiety meter had been
reading high” as the big date approached, but that “seeing the
veterans of the event plan the details like they would a
cross-country flight, the needle is dropping back very nicely.”
The final pre-event Holleyfest Planners
meeting is being held Saturday, September 18, and hosted by
Joe & Carolyn
Marshall. There will be a mere 3 weeks until Holleyfest after
this get-together, so mark your calendars now!!! |
