Jour De Fete Committee Meets Next Week In Continuing Search For Key Members

The Jour de Fete Committee’s informational meeting on September 17 at Cafe Genevieve had a large turnout.

Committee president Jami Inman hopes another good meeting at 6 p.m. on Thursday, October 17 — also at Cafe Genevieve — will lead to finding the key board members to keep the event going for years to come.

Jour de Fete, the craft festival that celebrates Ste. Genevieve’s French heritage on the second weekend in August, began in 1966 and has been held annually with the exception of 1993, when downtown Ste. Genevieve was fighting against floodwaters from the Mississippi River.

With long-time board members and officers Joan Noll and Brenda Hayden planning to retire from the board, Inman said new blood is needed to take over key roles.

Noll has served as treasurer for 11 years. Hayden has been both secretary and craft vendor coordinator for many years.

“These are things that, if we don’t get, we can’t continue to do Jour de Fete,” Inman said. “I love Jour de Fete, probably everybody on the board loves Jour de Fete. I would hate to see it not continue.”

With Tim Conley also retiring from the board, Inman wants to see Hayden’s duties split among two new board members. Her goal is to have people in place on the board by November so they may train with the outgoing officers in preparation for the 2020 event. The board typically does not meet in December and January around the holidays.

See complete story in the October 9 edition of the Herald.