HomeMy WebLinkAboutInformationFYI
Dear Meridian Civic Leader,
On Thursday, June 12th at 8 am, there will be an informational meeting at Meridian City Hall
regarding the "Capitol Holiday Tree" program. Briefly, the Nation's Christmas Tree for 2003 is
coming from Idaho, and the coordinating committee is putting together various opportunities for
Idaho cities to become involved in the program.
The tree will come through Meridian on Sunday, November 9th, and the organizers would like to
meet with our civic leaders to see how we might like to be involved with an event. In addition,
every community in the state is being asked to provide decorations for the tree, as well as the 80
smaller trees that are being provided to decorate other government buildings in Washington,
D.C.
We would ask that someone from your organization attend the meeting on June 12th, so that they
can inform your members about the possibilities for involvement, and be part of Meridian's
effort. Because our community is such a strong volunteer community, we suspect that nearly
every organization will want to be involved on some level. The meeting will be held from 8 to
9:30 am, in the City Council Chambers.
If you have any questions, please call me at 888-2817. I hope to see a representative of your
group at the meeting.
Sincerely,
Teri Sackman
Executive Director
~~` CHAMBER
~~
~~~~ COMMERCE
June 12, 2003
.N~+ 1 -.
215 E. Franklin Rd., Meridian, ID 83642
888-2817 * fax: 888-2682
Capitol Holiday Tree report
(For those who were unable to attend today's meeting)
Idaho's 70-foot "perfect" spruce tree, selected from the Sawtooth National Forest, will begin its tour around Idaho
by participating in the Boise Veterans' Day Parade on Saturday, November 8"'. The next day, Sunday, Nov. 9~h,
the tree will come to Meridian with plans to stay from 2:30 to 4 pm. The Meridian Police Department is
currently working on the best route for the trailer that carries the tree, which is very important, as the entire rig is 95
feet long! Once they have determined the best route, we will be able to choose a location for the City's celebration
of the event. (Possible choices: Storey Park or Generations Plaza)
Mayor Corrie has suggested that we include Meridian's Centennial as a feature of this event. As this is our
celebration of the tree's stopping in Meridian, we are free to organize it as we see fit. Anyone interested in working
on the event should let me know.
Opportunities for groups to be involved include making ornaments for the tree, or making ornaments for the 80
smaller trees which will adorn various government buildings in Washington DC. We can provide the specifications
for those ornaments to any interested group. I am waiting for a-list of the buildings that will house these smaller
trees, so that if a group wants to choose a specific building, they can. The Meridian School District and the
Meridian Boys & Girls Club have already indicated that they will work with local children on ornament projects.
The Capitol Holiday Tree organizers are also looking for opportunities to sell merchandise to help fund the trip
around the state and to DC, and are also looking for various levels of corporate sponsorships. I am including
various contact names at the bottom of this report, if any organization or business is interested in sponsorships or
merchandise.
The tree will travel through Idaho for two weeks in November, and then begin the trek east, stopping at various
cities, to arrive in Washington DC on November 30. The tree lighting on the Capitol lawn will take place the
middle of December. A special "Idaho" reception will take place following the tree lighting, and Tom McKinstry
of Indian Creek Winery is working on getting the Idaho Wine Producers involved with that reception.
Along with the trees, the organizers are putting together 80 gift baskets of Idaho products, to be delivered to the
government offices along with the trees. Any business that would like to contribute to these baskets is invited to do
so.
I have a copy of the Forest Service/Capitol Holiday Tree video CD, which anyone can borrow. We can also get
additional copies, or you can invite the organizers to speak to your own group.
So.....in talking with your bosses, employees, or members, keep in mind the following ways you can be involved:
making ornaments, cash or in-kind donations, merchandise sales, Idaho products for the gift baskets, or
helping plan the Meridian event. Until such time as the Chamber Board commits to heading this up, or another
organization offers to do so, I will remain the contact person. So let me know if, and how, you might want to be
involved!
Teri Sackman Capitol Holiday Tree Capitol Holiday Tree
Meridian Chamber of Commerce Susie Borowicz, project coordinator Cyd Weiland, Asst. coordinator
888-2817 208-842-2663 373-4135