December 1, 2012

Going into the event on December 1st, I worried that we would either not make enough money to be able to start donating to the Polish Home Hall, or that we would only be able to donate a couple hundred bucks which seemed to me like such a small amount that it would not have been worth our effort to put together the event in the way that we did. I was incredibly surprised at the outcome of the event, so many people showed up even for just a few minutes.

I was "stuck" at the children's table, which became very disappointing when we were only able to entertain six or seven children. Even then, Professor Bradley's art students were able to be more engaged with the children as they had face painting set up at one end of the table while the American Studies students had our "I am proud of. . . " board at the other end. I had not realized that the art students would also be helping out at the children's table so my ideas for our activities were limited to what an American Studies major can accomplish with children rather than what AMST and Art majors can accomplish with students. Thankfully, Professor Bradley brought supplies to our table which included the face painting kits. This allowed the art students to be the most connected with the children as they painted their faces for 50 cents or any donation. Alex and I were able to get a few children to add to the board we had created for the children to write on paper leaves that they had colored what they were proud of in their community. To get the ball rolling, we had all the workers at the children's table write something they were proud of the community of Baybrook for so that the kids would have examples to go by. As more kids put leaves onto the board, we were able to slowly take off our own examples, leaving the children's leaves up on the board for the community to see.

If I were able to redo December 1st, I would have asked to either rotate or just leave the kids table to the artists as they were the main attraction at our table, so that I could mingle with the elders of the community and get to know more about the history of Brooklyn and Curtis Bay. I felt that I was unable to connect with the community as much as I would have liked to since throughout the semester I was unable to get out into the community to talk to the store owners and families, and at the event only had contact with the children of the community who wanted to have their faces painted.

I feel that I missed quite a lot of what happened at the event by being at the children's table the entire time, I even missed the paramedics coming to the rescue when Hayley helped a woman who had fallen outside the PHH and cut open her leg.

What else can we put our logo on?

I've been thinking and looking at websites this past week of things we can put our logo on and sell. I've found some decently priced things at this website and will list what I think are plausible/ worthy of looking further into.

WARNING: this blog is filled with tons and tons of links!

• We could get stickers and either sell them for a nickel a piece or just give them away as reminders, I'm not sure if we'd want to ask the logo designer to make another logo that has the address & date along the bottom/around it so that people who get stickers can understand the entire deal, or have a link to a facebook page (by the way, we should make a facebook event page for this!) (we can have different size stickers also example)
• We could print some kind of business cards with all the information to hand out to people whenever we go on walks around the neighborhood, or when we sell stuff on campus. (This might be a cheaper way to get business cards, everyone can order 250cards for $10 if we want a ton of them) (Also, this website has not only business cards but brochures too, and flyers and postcards! Postcards would be great to send to the local businesses as well as houses in the community)
• Magnets! Everybody loves magnets! This one can be put on a car, on your fridge, etc. And will have our awesome logo to remind the community folk of such a great event. We could sell this for a dollar or more!
• Buttons! Because, buttons are cool. (If you can't tell it is getting later in the night, my bedtime is between 9:30 and 10pm but I want to finish this before I go to bed/do work for other classes) (Larger buttons)
• Keychain things, a form of memorabilia? However 300 is the minimum you can get, which seems a bit high if we plan to try to sell them all!
• CUPS! I remember that a previous class had cups made, I don't think it went well, but that's a decision we'll have to make. It is possible that the cups would come with each ticket bought, so people would have cups to put their drinks in if they wanted to. All people who get food get a "free" cup, and we just increase the cost of tickets. (This cup is larger for the same price, and this one is even larger!) (This last cup selection has the largest size, is slightly more expensive BUT has a lower minimum purchased)
• Obviously the idea of buying pens or pencils with the logo on it are ideas too, but there were so many different pens and pencils on this website that I figured you could check them out yourself if you wanted to bad enough. 

I don't know if this has anything to do with the event planning committee but I was thinking about it and thought I would get my thoughts onto somewhere. These are just some of the awesome things we can put our logo on but I thought they would be most productive/ easily sell-able!

As usual, I've procrastinated my life and all the research I should have been doing. I'm going to set up a corner in the library and call it Rachel's Corner and do work for the next week so I feel accomplished and actually get something done. 

I have been trying to figure out what to do with the kids at the event also. I want there to be something for them to do that will be left in the community for years to come. Someone gave me the idea of painting bird houses that will be put into the community garden. I have to email Jason as to the plausibility of this idea but I think it could work. 

I just found two birdhouse styles that when bought in bulk are pretty cheap. The first one costs $3.49/ea when you buy ten or more, we could either say it costs $4-6 to paint one, or have them for free (with donations accepted) so kids could do something. The second costs $3.29/ea when you buy ten or more, so the same idea for cost would be applicable. I haven't been to the garden but I remember someone saying something about a chainlink fence and we could have these birdhouses attached to the fence (I would be willing to help in the application of the birdhouses to the fence at a later date). I will look into birdhouses at stores like Michael's and JoAnn's to see if there are any other good prices. If this seems like a plausible project for the kids to do at the event. 

Another idea that was thrown around for what to do with the kids was to make sand art for them to take home with them, but I am not sure how I feel about it at this time, I would want to look into it more.

Pratt Library Pastimes.

Tom, Elaine and I went to the Pratt Library on Monday and were to be working with the phonebooks from 1965 forward. Instead, we found reverse phone searches, of which I cannot remember the name of the actual books.
We decided to copy the pages for Pennington Ave, Patapsco Ave, and Curtis Ave, for every five years or so. 1966, 1970, 1975, 1980, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000, 2006 and 2010 since we vaguely remembered that Alex and Hayley were going to look into businesses that were there today.
We divided the copies we made and took them home to highlight all the businesses. I am in the process of typing up all the businesses on each of the streets to send to Katie for her excel spreadsheet. I've found a few businesses that were there throughout the years that I've highlighted (1995-2010).

I have also been trying to think up good things for the children to do during the event to keep them busy while their parents take a look around at all the businesses we have booths for. I was thinking coloring of some sort, but I want to make it more community related so I might try to talk to Jason about what he thinks could be done art-wise and added to the community garden.

Pratt Library -- Brooklyn Branch

So I missed last class because I was called into work and all I wanted to do was be in class instead of work. I feel like I'm not doing enough for this class and am about to step up my game.

My paper on the Brooklyn Branch of the Enoch Pratt Library is two parts, the first part is the history research that I was able to accumulate, of which I would like to do more, and the second part is my own personal thoughts on the accessibility of the library website, as I was unable to get to the library in person so make my own judgments on the practical values of different aspects I look for when I look at libraries.




Also, I found this article on an incinerator they were going to put in in the 1960's, but I don't remember who was writing about the incinerator, or if anyone was actually writing about it. Premature fears. (1965, Nov 04). The Sun (1837-1986). Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/537273416?accountid=10750

Late! As usual.

I should start doing my blogs earlier...

The Main Street idea because our project, and as you all know we are still hammering out all the details and trying to figure out how we can make this event friendly to all ages. I still strongly think there should be some kind of area for children so that parents can enjoy the event without having to look over their shoulders ever five seconds to make sure their child isn't getting into trouble.

The class seems to have split into two groups, those who don't want to work with kids at all and those who think kids should be involved in one way or another. I think it is up to those of us who think the children should be involved to make sure that it happens, even if we have to create our own "kid" committee and work a little harder outside of the other committees. That way those of us who don't want anything to do with kids wont feel like we are taking the easy way out by choosing to be in the "kid" committee and no other committees.

Taking advantage of the anniversary of the Chesapeake Center for Youth (I forget the full name) thing would benefit us in both involving kids AND bringing more people to the event. Along with the preschool and elementary school being on what is considered "main street".

After hearing the past students remember arguments I am very worried about when we make certain decisions about the event because I am terrible with confrontation, so much so that I'm actually feeling anxiety now. But, I feel like the biggest decision has already been made about whose idea we were going to take and run with.

I really want to go to the Pratt this weekend, so I hope we go this weekend. I am obsessed with libraries, every city I go to, I make it almost mandatory to go a public library and just look at the way the building is set up. I have a checklist in my mind of what makes a good library... From the types of shelving they use (some shelving units hold the books at an angle on the shelve) to the carts that they put books on to be re-shelved after they are returned to the library and the seating arrangements throughout the library. I once worked in a library and little things like that really make all the difference to me. I don't really know where to start on my research though because I've never really thought about looking into the history of libraries.

This weekend after we go to the main Pratt library I might try to make my way over to the library in Baybrook to start scouting out the area with my checklist in mind.

What I got from last weeks group discussion with Jason Reed

"feasibility study"

The following are my ideas from what we talked about last week with Jason Reed. I know we have already decided a few specifics, this is just what ideas I would like to contribute.

Title: Mapping Baybrook: Main Street Memories

Logo: Outline of Main Street (sort of like the NYC skyline)

Mission Statement: "To bring together the community of Baybrook by remembering the past, documenting the present and looking towards the future (with an attention on main street)"

Event Discription:
       1) Main Street "memories"- have old photos of main street next to current photos of each location, mapped out. Each current locale on main street will be invited to set up a booth at the Polish Home Hall to help the community know who works in the neighborhood/ on main street. Each booth will be set up in the same way with a photograph of a historic store front along side a current photo of the store. The rest of each booth will be left up to the discretion of the store owner. (All stores are welcome to bring sample food but we will not pay them for the samples. Another idea would be to make each booth space cost 5$ to increase revenue for the event since we cannot expect the store owners who have booths at the event to pay to get into the event).
       2) Artwork/ silent auction - UMBC art students' artwork will be on display and a silent auction of the artwork (if approved by artist) will be held with all proceeds going back to the community.
       3) Entertainment - invite the entertainers that live in the community and children at the schools to perform. Hopefully they will be willing to come for free, if not we need to decide how much they will be paid.
      4) Food - if enough food stores on main street bring samples, we can lower the amount of food we prepare to help save money on the event.
      5) Reflection - set up a table with "guest books" and a donation box so that the community members can not only tell us how we did for the event but also leave notes on what they would like to see changed in the neighborhood so that the AMST 422 in future semesters have something to start from instead of feeling like a chicken with its head cut off in the beginning of the semester. Another type of reflection book could be a memory book that would be turned into a link on the Mapping Baybrook website.
     6) Debut of Mapping Baybrook website - determine a specific time of day that the website is presented by a speaker to whoever is at the P.H.Hall in between entertainers.
     7) Raffle- invite main street shops to donate baskets of product to be raffled off at the event (ask other companies too even if they aren't on main street to increase the number of baskets). Raffle tickets will be an extra cost, but each person to buy a ticket to get into the event has an automatic ticket into the raffle. Extra tickets will be 2$(?).
    8) Arts and crafts table - ask kids/anyone to express with art what the community means to them, artwork will later be displayed in the community garden. It will be a small section of the event.

Committee Structure:
     - budget: Katie
    - secretary: Alex
     - PR/outreach: ensure that the event is well publicized.
    - Fundraising:
     -Entertainment: find entertainers within the community willing to perform
 I am willing to be in any and all committees as I like to work with people to get something done. I feel that I will do best working on publicizing the event, even though I am very shy when something needs to be done, when I need to reach out to people I am very good at speaking up.

Revenue Producing Products:
   * Tshirts- to be sold for 6$ more than the cost of production per shirt.
   * Buttons- to be sold for 2$ more than the cost of production per button
   * Bake sale- cookies, brownies, cupcakes, lemonade- cost to be determined.

Feasibility Statement:
     After discussing projects in class on the 19th, the main street idea seemed more feasible than an artwork idea since the event will be in December and it will be cold. Having a small children's corner/artwork area seems a plausible compromise since the kids may need to do something to keep themselves busy during the event. Asking main street shops to participate is a great way to bring more guests who are curious as to what stores are located on main street.

Mapping Baybrook: Puzzling Together a History

Title: Mapping Baybrook: Puzzling together a History

Logo: Pieces of a puzzle that say Bay and Brook on them, so they are part of a larger puzzle.

Mission Statement: “To bring together the community of Baybrook by remembering the past, documenting the present and looking towards the future”.

Event Description:  (What I would like to see at the event):
                1. Art area with crafts that kids can take home as well as puzzle pieces that members of the community are invited to decorate with what it means to them to be part of the Baybrook community. The puzzle pieces are welcome to be made by children of all ages (i.e. adults too).
                2. Music/entertainment performed by local bands/comedians that will perform for little to no money. Not only will this get their name out to the public but will be good practice for them. (Involve UMBC bands and comedians).

Committee Structure:
                1. Food/entertainment: contact people to perform at low cost, and ensure food that will be prepared is ready for the day of the event.
                2. Fundraising committee: work with the budget and decide what products to create and how to effectively sell them. (This includes bake sales and fundraising on campus).
                3. Public Relations committee: get word of the event out to the public to ensure attendance at the event will be a good amount.

Revenue Producing Products:
                *T-shirts to be sold at 5$ more than the cost to produce each.
                * Buttons to be sold at 2$ more than the cost to produce each individually.
                *Flyers (which will get the word of the event out to the public, to be brought to all fundraising events on and off campus)
                *Bake sale products: cookies, cupcakes, brownies, lemonade etc. Prices to be determined by the cost to produce, donations will be available also.

Budget: I am terrible with budgeting, so I prefer to leave this up to those who work well with money and are good at budgeting.

Schedule:                 1. Buy t-shirts and buttons ASAP to sell at every fundraising event on and off campus.
                2. Bake sales (weekly? Bi-weekly?) also starting ASAP to raise money, possible to work with the Noche Vida guy at the library to raise money.

Feasibility Statement: I believe this project is something that can be accomplished in one semester as it seems very basic but has the potential to help the community grow into something of a tighter knit group. Problems that could arise are people not feeling like the theme of “puzzling together a history” is appropriate for Baybrook, as well as people’s lack of creativity in the designing and decorating of puzzle pieces to be displayed throughout the community.

Research Project:

Libraries are some of the most important buildings within a community as they hold so much information and imagination to be used by the community. A library within a community can become a hub of personality, a place for youth to commune and feel safe as well as a place for adults to keep their childhood imagination afloat via fiction novels. I want to research the public library of Baybrook to discuss the aesthetically pleasing visual appearance as well as the level of involvement the library has with the community. I am a lover of libraries and have created a check list in my mind of the things a library must contain in order for it to be considered a good library. I will look at this library in two ways, first in my own personal judgment of the libraries aesthetic characteristics and second in relation to how it works within the community as a base of operation for study and leisure.