We’re taking a break from our “walking tour” of The Ave for a bit to fill you in on some planning that’s going on in Main Street Vineland for 2020. We have a lot going on that I want to share.
First, however, I have some news about our campaign for public financial support for the Military Mural downtown. It was such a success that it netted more than was necessary to cover the expenses. As promised, the excess amount was donated to the New Jersey Veterans Memorial Home at Vineland. We recently held a check presentation ceremony at the facility to present a check for $500, representing the excess amount. Representatives from the facility, Main Street Vineland, City government, and the United Veterans Council were present. This was in addition to Josephine Spinelli, who chaired the formal dedication ceremony for the mural on Veterans Day, and the artist himself, George Perez. We were most happy and proud that the check presentation ceremony, like the mural dedication ceremony, garnered Philadelphia television coverage.
Looking ahead to this year, planning is moving along for our various events and initiatives. Our four teams—Organization, Design, Promotions, and Economic Vitality—are having the first of their quarterly meetings this month. In addition, we’ve begun to have planning meetings for our events. We had our second planning meeting for our Cruise Down Memory Lane, which will take place on June 13. We also met with the marketing company that has helped us put together our Food Trucks Festival on The Ave event, Stallion Marketing. I’ll be filling you in on the reminder of our events in upcoming columns.
At the Board level, we nominated and elected—actually reelected—the Board’s leaders for 2020. Brian Lankin, Dennis Ingraldi, and Reginald Johnston will be serving again as the Board’s chairperson, vice-chair, and corresponding secretary/treasurer, respectively. I’ll have more news about some appointees shortly.
It looks like an exciting year and we want you to come along for the ride.
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DON’T FORGET! We’re proud to be presenting a free concert by the esteemed United States Air Force Heritage Brass of the USAF Heritage of America Band on Saturday, March 14, at 3 p.m., at the Landis Theater, 830 E. Landis Avenue. We are grateful to Samuel Coraluzzo Co., Inc./Torrissi Transport for sponsoring this concert, which will show off the ensemble’s repertoire of music ranging from classical, patriotic, and jazz selections to new compositions and distinctive arrangements. Seating is open—first come, first served. No ticket is necessary. Mark your calendar now to come out and support our military and the Airmen musicians.
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We’re always looking for new volunteers—or volunteers to rejoin us to help us with all the great events and initiatives we have coming up. By getting involved now, you can be part of the planning and implementation stages. Even if you haven’t been able to make our team meeting this month and still want to get involved, see below on how you can contact us and see how you can fit in.
For more information on Main Street Vineland, call 856-794-8653, visit TheAve.biz or check them out on Facebook. You can also e-mail [email protected].
