The Brick Block Pub inside Happy Joe’s Pizza, 109 W. Main Street, Morrison, IL, was filled with over 40 persons interested in the same thing: continuing Paint the Town as the dynamic, family event it has been for the last 22 years. Despite a Severe Thunderstorm Warning, inside a room reserved for 7:00 p.m., on Wednesday, May 2, 2018, every seat in the Pub was taken, and a handful of people stood. Ages spanned six-or-more decades.
PTT Co-chair John Martin introduced at least nine members of 15 Paint the Town committees. They explained their duties; specified the best way new volunteers could assist; shared information about the amount of time their committee duties take. Surprisingly, some jobs on the day of the event only take two or three hours, and monthly planning meetings are usually an hour.
Martin said in the past there were three volunteers on each committee; that number has dwindled to one or two. That lack of shared effort is a problem and leads to burnout. “We have the system [for organizing and managing Paint the Town] down, but we can’t move forward with other projects. We’re starting to market Morrison to be an art community,” he explained and referenced the new Loft 112 endeavor. “We want to show how many kinds of things we do [in Morrison.]”
Many helpers make a significant and rapid impact. On Thursday before Paint the Town, for example, Crossroads Church volunteers work round-robin, circling tables covered with paper bags for the participants. Each person deposits a specific bottle of paint, brushes, chalk, cups, plates, or napkins. A cookie and event t-shirt are added on Saturday. Martin stated it takes the group just 2.5 hours to disseminate five pallets of paint.
He noted Scott Connelly arranges for Morrison Institute of Technology student volunteers to help Martin store equipment after the event: barriers, tents, tables, wash stations, for example. “Once they volunteer, they ask to come back again,” Martin said. He noted that he feeds them dinner and gives them a box of extra cookies.
Morrison High School Key Club members also volunteer. He has a dependable adult male crew that also cleans Main Street after the event. Two he mentioned were Merle Reisenbigler and Mark Schuler.
“We want [Paint the Town] to be just about family and art,” Martin concluded. “It’s dedication to our community.”
As Jerry Lindsey wrote earlier, “The knowledge and details of organizing a successful PTT exist, but it is time to “pass the baton” on certain responsibilities, to maintain the energy and excitement that accompanies this annual event.” Energy and excitement were present in the room.
There are 15 well-structured Paint the Town Committees. Call Co-chair John Martin to help with one: 815-499-2037. The next committee meeting–which is open to all interested persons–is Wednesday, May 16, at The Brick Block Pub. Paint the Town is Saturday, September 15.
