Plans for the annual Red Carpet Night, 90s ladies social and providing downtown flowers were discussed at the Thursday, Feb. 15, meeting of the Hennessey United Board of Directors.

Cathy Howard, board secretary and chairman of the Red Carpet Night program, suggested April 18 for the event. It is held for local clubs and other organizations or groups, to honor their members, or someone who deserved to be recognized for their work in the community, she said.

The event has been held at the library’s Ortman Auditorium in previous years. Howard suggested it be held somewhere else because of the water leaks in the auditorium.

Member Scott Hajek checked with a couple of facilities.

Sheila Duell told him The Hive would be available and “the price was right.”

Howard said the Mercantile might be another possible site.

Treasurer Tammy Lott-Hopkins said she missed the board having awards dinners the way it did years ago. That’s when it was a big occasion and everyone dressed up, she said.

Businesses bought a table for their staff and friends to attend, said Barb Walter, another board member.

Back then the meal was catered by the Catholic men’s group and one year George Nigh, former governor, was the speaker, said Howard, who chaired the meeting in the absence of the president and vice president.

90s Ladies Social

United will again celebrate area ladies who’ve turned 90 this year, or in past years. No date has been set for the event. Howard, chairman of the event, said the ladies had a great time last year. The women were treated to lunch, manicures and lots of visiting.

Downtown Flowers

Beautification Chairman Renee Curry said she’d have the flowers ready for distribution to Main Street businesses by mid-April. She asked Howard if she’d contact businesses again this year to see if they want United to provide flowers in front of their businesses.

United provides a stand and a tub of flowers at each downtown business that wants them. Each business is responsible for care and watering of the plants.

Some businesses aren’t open every day, said another board member.

Curry said she has been carrying jugs of water with her in the summer and tries to make sure the flowers get watered so she doesn’t have to replace them.

Comments by Town’s Vice Mayor

Vice Mayor Harold Shaw got great feedback from board members when he said the town was almost finished with the bathroom addition at the cemetery pavilion.

He also said the town was making progress on the new pavilion, and it should be ready by October in time for the Wine & Chocolate Festival if they wanted to move it there.

Vice President Teresa Oliver and Curry said they were against having the festival there, mainly because “it’s not on Main Street” People wouldn’t see it the way they do at Memorial Park on Main Street, said Oliver.

Others agreed. That pavilion is located off First and Main Street west of the alley near the railroad tracks. It’s on nine lots where the Roy Johnson Lumber Yard was located that the town purchased a few years ago and it has been cleared.

In June, Richard Simunek, a local preservationist, donated his 11 lots (valued at $50,000) south of the former lumber yard.

Leadership Scholarships

Howard, director of the high school senior leadership class, suggested that eight students be selected and said she’d get with the high school principal about it.

Walter said scholarship criteria in the past included student essays, their needs and community service based on a point system.

Also, last year’s recipients were selected by three committee members.

“There will be a committee and guidelines and there most likely will be something written,” Howard said after the meeting. She added that she’d already contacted the history teacher, Marie Parrish, “and we’ll be talking about criteria sometime in the near future.”

Easter Egg Hunt

The board agreed to make a $300 donation to the Hennessey Lions Club for this year’s Easter Egg Hunt. Dagan Hardin, the Lions Club representative on the board, said they plan to have lots of prizes again this year.

Heritage Festival

Walter said she’d like for United to start up Heritage Festivals again when Hispanics, Czechs, Germans and cowboys worked together for a covered dish dinner and entertainment.

It was stopped several years ago because of low turnouts, and costs, she said.

Those costs were mainly for dance bands, said two other board members.

Walter asked United to get involved in the Heritage Festival at the Early Childhood Center, to maybe get ideas for a future festival again and that she’d told the principal she wanted to help this year.

“Only the parents of students attend the school’s festival,” said Curry.

“Go ahead and go if you want to,” said another board member.

That festival is in the outdoor classroom at the Early Childhood Center from 5-7 p.m. Thursday, May 2.

Walter said she’d go and hopefully make connections with Hispanic parents and others who might want to help with a United Festival again. Also, she said she may be able to get a grant from the state Arts Council again.

At the Meeting

Board members who attended this month’s meeting at the Mercantile were: Howard, Lott-Hopkins, Hajek, Curry, Brooklyn Harris (student member), Shaw (town board member) and Walter. Late member arrivals were Vice President Teresa Oliver and Dagan Hardin.

Board members absent were President Stacy Cline, Kaden Mitchell and Kim Gritz.

The board’s next regular meeting is 6:30 p.m. Thursday, March 21, at the Merc.