This month the Plymouth School Board approved the 2023 agreement with the Marshall County Blueberry Festival.
Superintendent Mitch Mawhorter each year the school corporation meets with the festival committee to review the agreement. Typically, they make a few minor tweaks and Mawhorter said this year is no different. The discussion revolved around the timely starting of the trams and potential incentives from the groups from the schools to say involved after Charlotte Tyree retires from her position in a few years.
Superintendent Mawhorter recommended approving the agreement.
This year’s agreement allows the Blueberry Festival to use Menominee Elementary School for the Blueberry Bike Cruse, Lincoln Jr. High for park busses for the parade, and Riverside Intermediate School will be used for parking cars during the festival. Trams will be parked there on Monday during the parade and the bands will get organized there. Jefferson Elementary School will be used the entire weekend with the entertainment stage, VIP parking, and as a First Aid station with an air condition month/child feeding area. Plymouth High School will be the official parking for the Blueberry Festival from Friday, September 1 through Monday, September 4th.
The Festival will charge $10 a day for vehicle parking or $20 for a weekend pass or daily motor home parking. Motor busses are $25 a day along with overnight RV camping without facilities. The funds collected from the parking are distributed with 50% going to Plymouth High School, 30% to the Marshall County Blueberry Festival, and 20% to the Moose Lodge for driving the trams.
The agreement has the school providing the adult leadership and students to park vehicles, rope off designated parking areas, and placement of signs. The Blueberry Festival will provide a board member for assistance in the parking area, provide security, provide signs and rope to mark off parking areas and provide golf carts for those 18 and older with a driver’s license. The festival will be responsible for damage to school property, provide radios for managing parking, and start-up money for the change.
The Blueberry Festival will waive the booth fee for Jefferson Elementary and per the agreement, the festival will take $4,000 off the top which is designated to the 1 to 4 school personnel overseeing the planning and running of the PHS Blueberry Parking over the Labor Day weekend.
Robin Cupka a member of the Plymouth School Board motioned to approve the agreement. Her motion was seconded by Stacey Patrick and approved by the four members of the board present at the meeting.
