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Directors Joe Aceto 2005 Nancy Beard 2009 Scott Beard 2009 Pam Bunker 2003 Buzz Dopf 1991 Randy Dopp 2012 Jeannie Echols 2005 Kelly Hernandez 2014 Laura Morris 1991 Bruce Murrill 1993 Vi Pena 1998 David Pensak 2000 Joe Pistilli 2000 Matt Pistilli 2013 Jesse Reek 2000 Ann Roush 2013 Bob Sherwood 1997 Alan Slater 2006 Tim Shoffeitt 2010 Keith Stevens 2009 Student Advisor: Felicia Romero, Beaumont High School Active MeMbers Cynthia Stevens 2010 Desiree Slater 2012 Beau Aceto 2013 Daniel Roush 2014 Amy Minjares 2015 the executive boArD (Front row from left to right) Laura Morris, Buzz Dopf, Scott Beard, Vi Pena; behind is Joe Aceto, Keith Stevens, Kelly Hernandez, Joe Pistilli, Tim Shoffeitt, Alan Slater, Bob Sherwood, Dave Pensak, Bruce Murrill, Jeannie Echols, Jesse Reek, AnnMarie Roush, Celina Cabrera and student advisor Felicia Romero. Not pictured is Nancy Beard, Randy Dopp, Pam Bunker and Matt Pistilli. About the Cherry Festival Association The Cherry Festival Association is made up of community volunteers working together to put on the event every year. There are 21 voting directors and five active members. There are seven new directors each year, leaving 14 of the directors remaining on the board each year. Directors are voted in for from one to three year terms, and must have been a member of the association for at least one year prior to be voted in as a director. The association votes on the governing board (president, vice-president, secretary and treasurer) each year. Several of the directors have been in the association for over 20 years serving in the community. There is one student advisor who must be a high school student and must apply each year to be the student advisor. This advisor brings ideas to the association on what the younger generation may want to see at the festival. The student advisor, after applying to the association, is then voted in by the directors. The association meets 10 months a year, starting in September, meeting one or two times a month. Starting in May of each year the directors and members meet weekly to ensure the festival goes off without any problems. The directors are all assigned tasks, such as securing entertainment, vendors (street, food and arts and crafts) and all other aspects of the events, right down to the porta-potties. The directors report back to the association at each meeting to discuss their progress in leading up to the event. The association requests permission from the city of Beaumont, filling out all the facility use forms to use the park for this event each year. The festival is self-funded and relies on the success of the event, as well as sponsorships from local businesses. While the city does provide the park and some staff support, there are no public monies used to finance the Cherry Festival. The city makes sure the park is in top condition for the event, as well as assisting with security for the event. In return the Cherry Festival Association makes sure to give back to the city. In the past years the association has donated funds to help fence Stewart Park. The association also purchased a four wheel off road vehicle for the police department, equipped with a radio and light bar. The past few years' donations were given to the city to purchase necessary equipment for the kitchen at the community center. The last two years money was also donated to upgrade the cameras at the city parks to make the parks safer for all the community throughout the year. It is all about working together to put on the best event possible and to give back to our city that we love being a part of. The association requests assistance from other community groups to help during this event. The entry gates are manned by groups such as the Kiwanis Club, Elks, American Legion and the Soroptimist. The Rotary Club checks ID's at the beer garden as well as sponsors the parade. These organizations receive a donation for their assistance. The monies these clubs raise from the Cherry Festival are donated back to the community in one way or another, through scholarships or supporting youth programs. 1. Years ago when we had our porta-potties on trailers, one of our directors got locked inside and had the splash of a lifetime. Needless to say, her backside was a little blue! 2. At closing one late Saturday night, we had a visitor leaving our event. She wanted to make sure we all knew how she felt so she proceeded to tell anyone who could hear, that we have the best porta-potties ever! They even had a purse holder for her in the men's urinals. 3. You might want to keep an open mind when a teenager uses silver dollars to pay for their entry into the festival. One volunteer thought they hit the mother load with the late 1800 solid silver coins. All of sudden he had new best friends, looking to buy a new truck and was planning his retirement. Then he had them appraised. The excitement was gone in a flash when he was told they were all fake. He still has his old truck, the new friends are gone and he's still working, but he has a great story to tell and coins to prove it. Our Top Three Cherry Festival Bloopers!

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