Monday, July 6, 2026

Johnston County Chorus Board Meeting

Monday, July 6, 2026

7:00 – 8:35 p.m.

1001 S. Crescent Drive, Smithfield, NC

Present:  Tess Andrews, Treasurer; Ester Garner, Vice President, Fundraising; Skip Haas, President; Sharon Hamad, At-Large Member; Vernon Harkins, Director; Don Johnston, At-Large Member; Bonnie Langdon, At-Large Member; Ron Sutton, At-Large Member; Holly Valovick, Secretary

I.                    Roll call

II.                  Approval of minutes with no changes – motion by Bonnie, seconded by Ron

III.                President’s report

a.      Skip handed out copies of a proposed prospectus to be reviewed by members before the next board meeting.  This will be used in soliciting sponsors and donors.

b.      Suzanne Coates is working on a grant through Walmart.

c.       Suzanne and Cynthia Fox Barney are working on creating a timeline for the chorus and are in need of old concert programs.  In the next member email, Holly will include a request for any programs, articles, photos, etc. members may have to contribute.

IV.                Treasurer’s report

a.      June 1 balance:  $5,049.57; June 30 balance:  $4,662.24.  Debits this month were:  the cashing of the check to the spring concert pianist ($800); the cashing of the check to the 50/50 winner ($172); the monthly storage unit fee ($100); and a transfer to the chorus’s second bank account to bring its balance to an even $100 ($17.26).  Deposits of $701.83 included ongoing Facebook Marketplace sales from the yard sale remnants and a donation of $300.

b.      Tess ordered debit cards for herself and Ester for the second bank account, which will be used for grocery cards.  Tess will look into the possibility of doing an immediate night deposit of funds received each week at rehearsal for grocery cards so that Ester can draw on that money to order them in time for them to be received by the following Monday.

c.       Tess provided a spreadsheet of income categories for August 2025-May 2026.  It was noted that some income was missing, so Tess will update as an addendum.

d.      An additional $271 was submitted for the yard sale at the meeting.  Sales continue.

e.      Skip has submitted the required sub-grant report detailing what the funds were used for.

V.                  Committee reports

a.      Music Committee

                                                              i.      Vernon and Bonnie will work together in the near future to pull music for the Christmas concert.

                                                             ii.      Tess is working on organizing Christmas music into the file cabinets in the storage unit and on creating a new music inventory list.

                                                           iii.      Karthik has made plans with Bonnie to turn in his spring concert music, but Rhonda Young is not responding to outreach.  Will she need to be billed for the missing music?

b.      Fundraising Committee

                                                              i.      Bonnie reached out to Jessica at Pizza Inn in Selma about doing a fundraiser there.  We would be able to reserve a Monday or Tuesday from 4-9 p.m. and receive 10% of all sales during that time.  In addition, we could host a 50/50 raffle or bake sale there to earn more money.  We will set a date for this at our next board meeting.

                                                             ii.      Bonnie also reached out to Kelli with Kindle Wick Candle Co. about doing a fundraiser.  Members would sell pre-sell Kelli’s candles, room sprays, etc. with order sheets, submit orders to Kelli, and she would fulfill them.  We would potentially earn 30% of all sales.  We will discuss this more at the next board meeting.

c.       Sponsorship Committee

                                                              i.      We will create a new sponsor/ad form following approval of the prospectus.

VI.                Old business

a.      The Clayton Square to Square Festival was successful in reaching a number of people in the community.  Ten people signed up as interested in joining the chorus, and one in volunteering. 

                                                              i.      Volunteering opportunities for that individual may include coordinating the silent auction baskets and placing concert posters in businesses.

                                                             ii.      Due to interest from young people at the festival, the decision was made to lower the age of chorus participation to “high school and older.”  This information was posted to the chorus’s Facebook page and language has been changed on marketing materials; Holly will also directly email members.

b.      Skip has received the contract from The Clayton Center for the Christmas concert.  The concert will be held at 3 p.m. on Sunday, December 13 (we will have access to the Center from 1-6 p.m.).  We will have access to the Center for tech rehearsal on Thursday, December 10, and dress rehearsal on Friday, December 11, from 5:30-9:30 p.m.  The total cost for the venue is $4,210; half is due by July 29.  Once that half is paid and we have a title and graphic for the concert, we can begin selling tickets.  Proof of liability insurance is due November 24.

VII.              New business

a.      It was suggested that we create a “student rate” for dues to encourage young people to participate.

b.      Vernon spoke with the director of choral music at Cleveland High School (Shearon Miller), who knows of recent graduates that might be interested in joining the chorus.  Mr. Miller also emailed Sarah McLamb, who is the coordinator of arts for Johnston County Public Schools, to solicit potential high school members.

c.       Fees for the chorus’s post office box have just gone up.  We paid the annual fee in March 2026.

d.      The first rehearsal for the Christmas 2026 semester will be Monday, August 17.  We will spend the first portion on refreshments and an icebreaker (Human Bingo) before singing.  Bonnie will bring nametags.

e.      Discussion about planning social activities for members in the fall – baseball game (or other sporting event), restaurant, etc.

f.        Discussion about creating a picture directory of members that can be added to the new password-protected member portal on the chorus website.  Board meeting minutes, budget information, and announcements are other things that could be added to that portal.

g.      The chorus will participate in the Clayton Harvest Festival in October.  Once liability insurance is secured, we can register.

h.      Skip suggested holding the 2027 spring concert at a venue other than The Clayton Center due to the cost of the Center compared to typical ticket sales for spring concerts.  Hinnant Winery would like to host the concert, but it would be outdoors.  The outdoor Neuse Amphitheater, Neuse Little Theatre, and Johnston Community College were all proposed.

                                                              i.      Next year will be the chorus’s 50th anniversary, so we will need to play that up.

                                                             ii.      Discussion about coordinating with the group activities directors of local senior centers to bring residents to the concert at a group rate.

                                                           iii.      Possible date of Sunday, May 16 was suggested for the concert.

i.        Discussion about creating t-shirts for chorus members to advertise the chorus.  These would be casual, eye-catching shirts to be worn to community events and fundraisers as well as worn by members for day-to-day activities to bring attention to the organization.

The next meeting will be held on Monday, August 3, at 7:00 p.m. at First Christian Church (1001 S. Crescent Dr., Smithfield).