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MIDVALE COMMUNITY GARDENS HOW TO PLAN THE ANNUAL POTLUCK
The 2019 Potluck Committee planned the annual potluck celebration for August 18. This outline is intended to assist in future year planning.
1. What we wanted to accomplish • to meet other gardeners • to develop a sense of community • to celebrate our harvest
This is a 41 plot community garden. Through meeting with others, exchanging ideas, and working on our common grounds, a commitment to future engagement is nurtured.
2. Determine responsibilities among committee members • Divide the responsibilities so that every committee member is accountable and talent is shared
3. Plan the date • Check Badgers and Packer football schedule so to avoid conflict. • Sunday, 4-6 pm • Select date; raindate • Best to select mid-to-late August. September has issues: Labor Day, colder weather, rain?
4. Design a flyer • Can use a template available on-line . I used Pages -> stationery -> Party. It makes the message look more like a
printed invitation and set the fun mood!
5. Publicity • Send out the flyer as a group email in June. A committee member can do this or ask the webmaster. • Put date on garden website (ask webmaster) • Send a reminder one week in advance (committee member or ask webmaster) • Provide a committee contact name if any questions
6. Request for potluck attendants • Bring your favorite food to share (“Dish to pass”) • Bring your own chair • Bring your own utensils, plates, beverage (we wanted to be ecologically minded with minimum paper or plastic that
would be discarded)
7. Day of Event • Have 2 picnic tables set up next to each other • Bring 2 tablecloths • One table: food • Other table: name tag “registration” (first name, plot number); index card with name of dish provided, gardener’s first name, plot number. After “registration”, this table can be used as an eating place. • Consider a dessert. We had a birthday cake that was garden themed. • Have a trash bag for clean up. • May want to have extra paper plates and plasticware, water in case someone forgot to bring their own.
8. What we learned / other considerations • RSVP: we didn’t do this. People don’t always commit themselves. • Children’s games: We designed 2 games that would engage kids with vegetables. Unfortunately, no children showed
up. Next year, consider asking gardeners to respond if they are bringing children and how many. Prizes can be purchased as game rewards. • Try to engage new gardeners to attend in 2020. Ask Mark Horan for new members. A committee member can send a
personalized email to them.
2019 Potluck Committee Members: Geri Naymick, Robert Luby, Charlotte Burns. Many thanks to Ann Knapstein for all her support and contributions.