By Pam Creech
Contributing Writer
The quest for sponsors for the 32nd annual North Carolina Holiday Flotilla continues as the flotilla committee’s chairman, Pres Davenport, raises the festival’s income goal from $23,500 to $25,000.
“It’s a modest increase,” Davenport said during an April 27 committee meeting. “I looked at our budget from last year and I looked at our income and I put together this budget based on that.”
The proposed budget, which is still subject to changes, will allow the committee to purchase a new computer and flags for lamp posts.
Davenport also proposed involving students from D.C. Virgo’s science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) program with the festival.
“That gives me chills. They would love that,” committee member Amy Zabriskie said.
Davenport thinks participating in the flotilla will tie into the middle school students’ academic curriculum.
“There’s obviously a good deal of engineering involved in getting the boat decorated and powering the lights. I think that would be fun compared to normal classwork,” he said. “We talked to the principal to see if we can get kids to decorate a boat or enter a boat if we can get a sponsor. … We’re hoping there’s a way to involve them that will be good for the kids and fun for everybody else. I don’t know if it’s going to happen but I’d like to see it happen.”
The committee also discussed searching for event sponsors, distributing postcard invitations and planning the festival’s launch party.
“We need to get those cards mailed out,” Davenport said.
Committee member Shannon Freidich discussed the music for the launch party.
“I got the contract for The Embers. It’s signed and the deposit is paid, so that’s good to go,” she said.
