4a. 2008 Halloween Party Evaluation
CITY OF
CHANHASSEN
7700 Market Boulevard
PO Box 147
Chanhassen, MN 55317
Administration
Phone: 952.227.1100
Fax: 952.227.1110
Building Inspections
Phone: 952.227.1180
Fax: 952.227.1190
Engineering
Phone: 952.227.1160
Fax: 952.227.1170
Finance
Phone: 952.227.1140
Fax: 952.227.1110
Park & Recreation
Phone: 952.227.1120
Fax: 952.227.1110
Recreation Center
2310 Coulter Boulevard
Phone: 952.227.1400
Fax: 952.227.1404
Planning &
Natural Resources
Phone: 952.227.1130
Fax: 952.227.1110
Public Works
1591 Park Road
Phone: 952.227.1300
Fax: 952.227.1310
Senior Center
Phone: 952.227.1125
Fax: 952.227.1110
Web Site
www.ci.chanhassenmn.us
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MEMORANDUM
TO: Jerry Ruegemer, Recreation Superintendent
FROM:
John W. Stutzman, Recreation Supervisor
JL3
DATE:
November 5, 2008
SUBJ:
2008 Halloween Party Evaluation
The annual Halloween Party was held on October 25th at the Chanhassen
Recreation Center and was a great success; Approximately 600 children and
parents enjoyed an evening of entertainment, games, refreshments,
trick-or-treating, and hayrides.
The following are general comments regarding the components of this event:
Hayrides
.
One hay wagon worked well within the time frame of the event, as lines
were never an Issue.
Having the hayrides in the grassy area in front of the Recreation Center
worked well. This location provided greater visibility as party-goers
entered the building.
A sign was placed out front, but additional signage may be helpful.
.
.
Entertainment
. Igor's Players presented, "The Halloween that Almost Wasn't,"
a theatrical performance by a local group of actors led by Cindy Larson
and Ann O'Neill. It was a very comical and interactive fictional story
involving the monster council trying to convince the head witch not to
cancel Halloween. Overall the show was very entertaining and really got
the audience involved. It was an entertaining show and I would look to
bring them back again next year.
. We also had local juggling tandem, The JuggBROS, provide opening
entertainment prior to the feature performance. They are a great group to
work with and provide volunteer hours for many city events and programs.
. Moving the entertainment back from the bleachers worked well. This
allowed for more seating and better overall traffic flow.
Chanhassen is a Community for Life - Providing for Today and Planning for Tomorrow
Mr. Jerry Ruegemer
November 5, 2008
Page 2
Face Painting
.
Continue having the face painters in the back comer of the school gym.
This provides for better overall traffic flow and line control.
Three face painters worked well. Lines were never out of control.
.
Refreshments
· Continue using Rooms 3 & 4 for refreshments.
· Continue having ample volunteers to keep this room clean and running
smoothly. Fred and Judy Prinz are a huge asset to this aspect of the party
and have been volunteering for this event for many years.
· We ordered less cookies and cider this year. It seemed to work out well
with 30 gallons of cider and 80 dozen cookies.
· Provide plastic gloves for people working with the cookies.
Games
· The use of the school gym for the games worked well. It helps keep the
traffic flowing.
· We added a new game this year, Charlie's Chicken Toss, which is always
a popular game. In addition, we replaced the candy walk with a new
game, the Bone Throw, which takes less time to run and allows more
participation.
· Having an ample number of volunteers is crucial to running the games
smoothly.
V olunteers/CRC Staff
· The use of Chaska High School Key Club, students from Holy Family
Catholic High School, Rec Center staff, and other local volunteers were
key to the success of this event.
· Coordinating event registration, setup and cleanup with the Recreation
Center staff and volunteers is essential to running a successful event. The
Recreation Center staff was a very big help.
General Comments
. The lobby setup for walk-in registrations worked well and assisted in
alleviating any initial congestion at the event.
· Continue using the school gym for games.
. Continue setting up the kids' candy guess and the adult raffle in the gym.
This helps with general traffic flow in the lobby area.
Mr. Jerry Ruegemer
November 5,2008
Page 3
.
Reserve Conference Room 1 from Friday morning until Monday morning.
This gives us a place to store supplies over the weekend.
Having the "scary room" in Rooms 1 and 2 allowed participants to enter
this activity immediately upon arrival to the Recreation Center.
Adding a new game seemed to help keep the lines down in the school
gym.
Ask Holy Family Catholic High School for volunteers again. This worked
very well and gave us additional volunteers for the event.
Continue to ask for volunteers from 5 p.m. - 8 p.m., thus allowing for
ample preparation time before the event and additional help cleaning up
after the event.
We provided a "photo opportunity" only this year and had parents take
their own pictures instead of us giving out a free photo. No complaints
were heard. One volunteer was placed in the area to help assist children
where to stand. This worked well and should be done again next year.
Creating a photo opportunity with a sign "Chanhassen Halloween Party"
would make a nice addition to the photos as well. We need to make sure
that we advertise that parents should bring cameras!
.
.
.
.
.
2008 HALLOWEEN PARTY
Expense Report
Revenue
266 Participants @ $5.00
Expenditures
101-1614-4130
Target - Candy, Cookies, Pop and Water
Cub Foods - Cider
Dominos - Pizzas
Oriental Trading Company - Prizes
Toll - Helium
Party America - General Supplies
101-1614-4300
Ken Theis - Hayrides
Entertainment
Maund Entertainment - Face Painters
Total Expenditures
Total Revenue
$1,330.00
$ 963.65
$ 50.65
$ 29.00
$ 597.29
$ 63.18
$ 221.77
$1,935.54
$ 450.00
$ 400.00
$ 450.00
$1,300.00
$3,235.54
$1.330.00
- $1,905.54