A follow up meeting was hosted for the International Days Committee following the 2022 festivities. During the meeting, the committee reviewed each aspect of the weekend celebration to discuss what went well and what could be improved.
It was stated that the decision to not have the bleachers situated in front of the stage seemed to go well. However, there were a number of individuals that did not realize that the bleachers would not be there and did not bring their own chairs. With this in mind, the committee decided to advertise bringing chairs, with an additional suggestion of possibly selling chairs.
This year, there were 92 vendors in the park and 26 teams registered for the cornhole tournament. Nearly 1,000 swimmers utilized the free swim day and 34 teams competed in this year’s golf tournament.
Positive feedback was received regarding the layout of the park and the additional utilization of 4th North for through-traffic. Praise also came regarding the park being kept clean throughout the entirety of the event as well as the new time for the kids’ parade.
In terms of the opening ceremony, which is hosted on Thursday evening beginning at 6 p.m., the committee discussed possibly moving the time to 7 p.m. to better flow into Culture Connection. The later start time would also be beneficial in terms of the summer heat.
In addition to the cornhole and golf tournaments, a successful 5K, parade, disc golf tournament and pickleball tournament were also hosted. Before concluding the meeting, suggestions for future International Days celebrations were discussed.
Bret Cammans made the suggestion to extend the celebration in order for set up to begin on Wednesday rather than Thursday. This would allow the vendors and carnival more time, as most of the vendors currently set up on Friday and tear down on Saturday. The new proposal would give vendors more time and profit.
A suggestion was also given to move the opening ceremonies to Washington Park, but keep it on Thursday, to keep everything in the parks. The committee made an unanimous vote to extend the celebration by one day. The booth fee was also increased to $150, including basic power for the vendor.