If seasons could be schizoid, spring would qualify as the poster child. Consider the mood swings: beware the Ides of March! Happy St. Patrick’s Day/Easter/Passover! April showers! Good day, sunshine! Damn weeds! Earth Day! AhChoo! Cherry blossom time! Politics! Play ball! Damn bugs! March Madness! Taxes! Taste of Beaumont!
Taste of Beaumont? Yes, BWNA’s seminal spring event that, heretofore, had been publicized each year on the front page of our March-April newsletters, encouraging residents to come partake of cuisine samples from local eateries, enjoy a performance by the Beaumont Middle School Jazz Ambassadors, participate in a raffle of door prizes donated by local businesses, and perhaps even agree to be nominated to serve on the BWNA board. But you won’t find that article in this year’s issue, because Taste of Beaumont has been terminated. At a special board meeting convened in late January by President Tim Hemstreet, board members concluded—reluctantly—that Taste of Beaumont, at least in its current form, is no longer viable.
What prompted such a conclusion? It certainly wasn’t lack of support from the Beaumont Business Association (20 merchants strong last year contributing cuisine samples or door prizes), and it certainly wasn’t lack of participation and cooperation on the part of the Beaumont Middle School community (free use of the cafeteria as a venue, classy white tablecloths, and lively entertainment from band director Cynthia Plank and her exemplary ensemble of young musicians). No, the culprit is low attendance. Aside from board members and spouses, only a sprinkling of B-W residents show up. Attendance included the musicians’ parents, siblings, and friends, but they usually head home soon after the set. And the elections? Last year we struck out completely: 0 for 5 in filling open board positions.
Within a month of last year’s Taste of Beaumont, however, two of those five vacant at-large board positions had been filled, with the board enthusiastically welcoming its youngest members, Laurie Holtz and Rich Woyma (about whom you can read profile articles in the 2019 July-August and September-October issues, respectively, via newsletter archives on BWNA’s new website—www.bwnapdx.org). So what motivated Laurie and Rich to take the leap to serve? Both said it was the result of reading articles in our newsletter! But a salient lesson to be learned is that banking on one meeting or event to fill open board positions is at best a crapshoot, at worst a recipe for disappointment. Fortunately, though, while BWNA bylaws do require annual elections to be held in April, vacated board positions may be filled at any regularly scheduled meeting during the year (which was the case with Laurie and Rich at last spring’s board meeting). And Taste of Beaumont? Well, the board left the door open to revising or replacing it next year. Got suggestions? Let us know.
I close with the focus on another of spring’s “positive moods”—the spirit of renewal. Our newsletter is indeed renewed in depth with the addition of B-W apartment-dweller and newsletter advertiser Carl Baird, DC (Evolve Performance Healthcare)—our newest writer/reporter. Thanks for volunteering, Carl, and welcome aboard!