Rendezvous scheduled for summertime

By Bev Pechan and Carol Walker

In a continuing effort to promote Hill City, Deb Bruce, HCACC director, and Mary Jo Marcy, chamber member, proposed a new August event to the Hill City Council at their meeting last Tuesday night. Dubbing it the “Rendezvous of the August Moon” Arts Festival, the duo explained the festival to the council, seeking approval for the special event.
The weekend festival is scheduled for Aug. 17-19 and seeks to showcase history, art, foods and ecology of the Black Hills area with the center of the event staged at the Hill City Visitor Information Center (VIC).
“The weekend after the Rally and before school starts is really dead and we thought this would be a good time for this event. Local visual artists and writers’ booths are open to painters, printmakers, sketch artists, fabric artists, wood carvers, stone carvers, quilters, leather artisans, potters, photographers, metal artists, basket weavers, blacksmiths, jewelry artisans, spinners and weavers and musical instrument makers who create native drums and flutes, dulcimers and stringed instruments and are willing to demonstrate their craft.
She said the focus of the weekend is education. Rendezvous people will live there through the weekend, eat together, have one group campfire and perform activities consistent with that time period. When asked if there would be any shooting, Marcy responded, “No. No guns or weapons will be allowed.”
During the weekend, the chamber would also like to host a Plein Aire event as the sponsors believe the scenery and the rendezvous people would provide subject matter for painting. Native heritage would also be represented with a teepee showing that way of life and could also be a story teller’s tent for period children’s stories. Native drummers, dancers, flute players and artists would also demonstrate their skills. Another group, the Dakota Artists Guild, had already expressed an interest in doing print-making with people who attend.
The intent is to have activity not only at the VIC, but all over town. Organizers are hopeful there will be artists, poets and musicians staged throughout the town and they will rotate into the VIC area.
Parking will be closed at the VIC with visitors encouraged to park at Major Lake, the baseball field and downtown. According to Bruce a shuttle will be enlisted to take people from parking areas to downtown businesses and the VIC.
“We hope to make a little money for the chamber by selling tickets that include the shuttle ride. We also want to sponsor a logo contest with the chosen artist featured and available to sign commemorative souvenirs of the event and then use that logo on T-shirts, cloth bags and cups to sell during the weekend,” said Bruce.
The group is also considering the addition of informational booths supporting the ecology of the region, such as the US Forest Service, Game, Fish and Parks, Native and natural horticulture and the geology and paleontology of the area.
By a unanimous vote, council members gave the chamber representatives the green light to move ahead with the Rendezvous of the August Moon.
Etzkorn says committees are now being formed to accomplish the orchestration of this new event. So far, the Mountain man and re-enactment portion is being chaired by Pat and Joe Balzak Heart of the Hills Antiques and Chris Voyles, who actively participates in other rendezvous’ held in the region. Wilma Behm and Karen Carlson are co-chairs of the writers and storytellers’ division, the Dakota Artists Guild and Tommie Leenknecht are in charge of the Plein Air exhibition and Mary Jo Marcy is in charge of artists’ booths, with other committees and chair person volunteers presently being sought. For more information, contact Denise Etzkorn at the Hill City Chamberof Commerce, 574-2368.
Piggybacking on the new event,came a request from Bruce for additional 2012 funding for the chamber. The chamber director expressed appreciation for the monetary support of the city and also presented an extensive Profit and loss budget overview to the council.
Criteria for additional funds is based on, but not limited to: 1) $10,000 for a proposal to hire a part-time events coordinator who would chair, coordinate, help facilitate and oversee all major events and assist with general VIC duties; 2) $10,000 for additional marketing which would include creating and printing a tri-fold brochure as well as other advertising opportunities for promoting Hill City events; 3) $2,500 to promote the Black Hills Film Festival.
Since she was new to the job, Bruce wanted to be hands-on with the events this past year in order to get a feel for what goes on with each one. Now she believes it is important that the chamber hire a separate events coordinator.
“I was that person this year, but I’d like to expand my position and not personally be so hands-on. I would like to go to trade shows to promote Hill City and do other things like spend more time on logo wear,” said Bruce.
Councilman Jason Gillaspie said, “I could see us giving you part now and then wait to see what Triple B money comes in through the year. Typically it is later in the year when a request for additional funds is made.”
Becky King, city finance officer, confirmed that, saying that a request for an additional $20,000 was made in May 2011. The council budgeted $80,000 for the chamber for this year and Mayor Dave Gray said they have never gone over $100,000.
With deficits in their current budget and proposals for the future, Bruce, on behalf of the chamber, requested an additional $30,500. The council voted 3-1 to approve an additional $5,000 now with an invitation for Bruce to return at the end of January to talk again.
The council also voted to replace the furnace at the VIC that heats the basement and the Civilian Conservation Corps Museum on the upper level. Brett McMacken, city administrator, said it has been worked on multiple times and a lot of money is being spent just coaxing it along.
Councilman John Johnson asked about the status of the school parking lot. He said he had received two calls regarding the illegal parking on Railroad Avenue during school events. Johnson was under the impression that with the additional square footage added at the school, a parking lot was required.
“I don’t think we put a time limit on this. I think the requirement was to buy property, not to build a parking lot right away,” said Gray.
McMacken suggested there be discussion with school officials and that parents be informed about parking on Railroad Ave. before law enforcement comes into the picture.
In other business, McMacken said interviews continue for recruitment of a city librarian, and Gray reported on attendance at the All Aboard Hill City meeting where branding and joint marketing were discussed.
The next city council meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, Dec. 27, at 5:30 p.m. at city hall.