Monday, April 29, 2024
As Special Events Coordinator for the City of Gatesville, I want to express my heartfelt thanks and appreciation to the following:
Police Chief Brad Hunt for his sincere care and concern for our community and visitors and his leadership in the process, which were key to making this a successful event.
Fire Chief Billy Vaden, whose experience and connections were crucial to planning this event. He and his crews assisted everywhere that we had people gathered, and they stood ready for any emergencies.
Parks and Recreation Director Seth Phillips and his entire crew who worked thoughtfully and tirelessly to make sure all our visitors had a great experience and left with a positive impression of our community.
Librarian Shea Harp and the Friends of the Gatesville Public Library for hosting the NASA presentation on Saturday evening and for holding an incredibly successful viewing event at the sports complex on Monday.
Morgan Smart was truly my right hand throughout all of this. She put in many hours leading up to and throughout the festival weekend.
Former Street Department Director Jim Shepard played an important role in the planning process, and interim Brent Kirchmeyer and his team did a great job of stepping in and making sure that the final preparations went smoothly.
Thank you to City Manager Scott Albert for allowing me to take on this role and to all the City Staff and Council for their support. Special thanks to Mayor Chumley for his involvement and guidance in this process.
Thanks to all the community volunteers and business support.
Carla Manning’s experience in organizing community events was invaluable in planning for the weekend festival and she worked many long hours to help make that a success.
Sarah Jo Poynter handled the festival’s social media needs and assisted in planning, as well as helped at the event. Susie Meelbusch helped with promotion and with activities on the square.
Yvonne Williams chaired a successful art show, which was one of the highlights of the weekend. Leairds Furniture & Appliances was a wonderful host for this event.
Chamber President Mason Mathews and his wife Tiffany worked the entire weekend at our information table and helped welcome visitors. JoAnn Sugg was a huge help with the festival, especially with the food vendors. Volunteers Cherry Braziel, Billy Byron, and Julie Mathews were on hand to make the weekend go smoothly.
Kristi Roberts, Lauren Morrell, and Marsha Streiber worked to bring our churches together to put on a Sunday praise and worship time.
Thank you to The Gatesville Messenger for their dedication to covering all aspects of our planning for this event and for helping keep our community informed.
Monica Hinds organized the motorcycle show, and Hinds Jewelry provided prizes.
Higginbotham’s provided our Gatesville sign. The Feed Mill, Dindi and Alan McDonald, and Marie Dominquez loaned us photo props.
Kim Hill at United Country and Teresa Johnson at Front Porch Realty loaned ATVs for our volunteers to use as shuttles and to navigate the grounds.
Soldiers from Ft. Cavazos manned our roadblocks and completed trash patrol duties.
Thank you to the Gatesville Pilots group, Ken Mallach, and Pete Wesson for taking care of our airport visitors. I would not have known what to do without you.
There were so many more supporters, encouragers, and volunteers.
Thank you to each one of you. You are the best! Without your help the Gatesville Eclipse events would not have been the success they were.
Special Events Coordinator
City of Gatesville
Cheri Shepard
