Just ahead of Tuesday’s Cadiz City Council meeting, officials recently took time to discuss the future of Trigg County Country Ham Festival planning — especially since its 50th anniversary celebration is less than 10 months away.
Of top importance: the development, and acceptance, of an agreeable governing structure between the festival’s committee and the City of Cadiz, where collaboration remains key, but the budget remains manageable and palatable.
The committee, as it stands now, approved a draft outline of new governance, which if approved by council members would include and involve:
+ A transparent, sustainable, community-centered model that promotes Trigg County’s agricultural history, supports local businesses, encourages civic pride and participation and complies with state and municipal law;
+ Makes the committee an operational arm of the Cadiz City Council;
+ Comes under the authority of a Board of Directors, which will be appointed by the Cadiz City Council;
+ The establishment of up to 10 “at-large” board members that will be appointed by the mayor and approved by the city council, to serve staggered two-year terms that can be reappointed;
+ The solidification of several “permanent” board members by community position, specifically a county extension agent, a Cadiz-Trigg County Parks & Recreation Director, a Cadiz-Trigg County Tourist and Convention Commission Executive Director, one representative of the Cadiz City Council, one representative of the Trigg County Fiscal Court appointed by the judge-executive and one designated Cadiz City Hall representative;
+ A proposed Festival budget to be presented each November, following the previous festival’s conclusion;
+ Monthly meetings, with the freedom to meet more often and as needed;
+ An election of annual officers, who can then oversee the creation of Festival sub-committees;
+ And an openness for by-law amendments.
Beth Sumner, current committee chair and Cadiz-Trigg County Director of Tourism, said the parameters needed to be set — so all minds could be clear.
While both the City of Cadiz and the Cadiz-Trigg County Tourist Commission have specific annual general fund budget line items for the festival, expenditures for each municipality aren’t the same. Sumner’s office, naturally, turns their attention to some advertising and entertainment costs for the festival, while Mayor Todd King and his council deliver a base number that provides unfettered support to several facets of the party, including required labor and other major weekend needs.
Multiple voices at the table confirmed that the festival “isn’t supposed to make tons of money for the city,” but instead is supposed to drive revenues back to vendors, local and regional businesses and non-profit organizations — who use the weekend for fundraising and educational opportunities.
However, everyone knows the festival isn’t free, and it does have several confirmed arms of revenue, including state grants, tourism appropriations, the sale of goods like T-shirts and stickers, booth rental fees, solicited sponsorship and arm bands for the West Cadiz Park and its Great American Carnivals — a Madisonville business now under a renewed 10-year contract with the City of Cadiz.
Sumner confirmed that the Trigg County Country Ham Festival Committee has “nothing to do with” the contractual obligations of the annual carnival, which operates on a revenue share with the City of Cadiz. Chief Administrative Officer Jack Lingenfelter also confirmed those monies go directly into the City of Cadiz general fund, and usually get earmarked for the next year’s festival — but the tracking of such needed to improve.
Two other motions were approved by the committee: the recommendation of waiving the collecting restaurant taxes during the weekend paired with a static increase of the food vendor fee, and the creation of a budget committee to include Sumner, Susan Hyde, Amber Syester and Rayme Hopson.
In other committee news:
+ Entertainment options remain on the table, but Sumner said “Rewind” will “almost certainly” be Friday night’s entertainment, and — respectful to future budgets — some form of a “country act” will be the selection for Saturday.
FULL MEETING:
Current Committee Members
Kara Allen, Trigg County Hospital
Kimberly Allen, former News Edge Media employee
Gail Cannon, local artist
Joshua Claussen, News Edge Media
Shelley Crawford, Trigg County Extension
David Fourqurean, Trigg County Extension
Adrienne Fuller, FNB Bank
Rayme Hopson, Cerulean
Jeff Hunter, Trigg County Parks & Recreation
Susan Hyde, City of Cadiz
Todd King, Cadiz Mayor
Lucy Kyler, Trigg County Treasurer
Jamie Lewis, Cadiz-Trigg County Tourism
Jack Lingenfelter, City of Cadiz
Brenda Price, FNB Bank and Cadiz City Council
Chelsey Redd, Trigg County Extension
Karen Stanfield, Trigg County Chamber of Commerce
Beth Sumner, Cadiz-Trigg County Tourism Director
Amber Syester, City of Cadiz
Tyler Thomas, Cadiz Police Chief
