Beth Caldwell Named New President For Labor Day Parade Committee

By Nancy K. Crevier

After serving on the committee for the past five years, Beth Caldwell has agreed to take the reins of the Newtown Labor Day Parade Committee this year, replacing Kym Stendahl as committee president of the 2009 Annual Newtown Labor Day Parade.

“This has been a seamless transition, and Kym continues to serve on the committee,” said Ms Caldwell. “Kym just has so much going on in her life that she felt it was time to let someone else lead the way in this area.”

Ms Caldwell has served as “one of the hamsters on the treadmill keeping things running” in a variety of capacities the past several years, she said, but feels that as president, her ability to delegate and help others figure out what they do well and what they need to do that well, will make each committee member’s job more manageable.

Ms Caldwell has been a Newtown resident and realtor since the early 1990s, only recently downsizing to Bethel, but holding, as she joked, “dual citizenship with Bethel and Newtown.”

Ms Caldwell met with this year’s committee members Brian Amey, Diana Baxter, Steve Bigham, Robin Buchanan, Dan Cruson, Kelly Stendahl, and Kym Stendahl for the first time in January to begin formulating the 2009 parade plans. She is pleased to have Kelly Stendahl, a junior at Newtown High School, join the group.

“We’re very excited to have a young person on the committee. Last year, Kelly and other members of the NHS cheerleading squad were instrumental in distributing the parade programs on Labor Day, and we look forward to having her input this year,” said Ms Caldwell.

This year the committee has determined that the parade will be brought back “to the community parade it once was. We are reining it in,” said Ms Caldwell. Parade participants will receive a letter when they register spelling out what they can and cannot do. “We’ve been pretty loose with that over the years,” admitted Ms Caldwell. “We are really looking for people to have real floats, not just a truck with a sign slapped on it,” she said. “We want to take some of the commercial piece out of it and are hoping for commercial entrants to be creative, clever participants,” Ms Caldwell said.

The committee has also decided to cut back on paid parade participants, and will instead look more to town bands to fill out the ranks.

“We are still seeking business sponsors, and hoping for an early commitment,” she said, but the committee is wondering if the economy will allow businesses to offer the support that they have in past years to help offset the more than $25,000 it costs to hold the parade.

Donations from residents can help defray the expenses, Ms Caldwell reminded and added, “I’ve always said that if everyone who attends the parade donated just $1, we would have more than enough.”

She is also very happy that former state representative Julia Wasserman has agreed to serve as Grand Marshal of the 2009 parade.

“It’s a terrific way for the whole town to say Thank You to Julia for what she has done for the community,” said Ms Caldwell. With a parade theme of “A Passion For Newtown,” Ms Caldwell said that the committee could hardly have found a more fitting person to serve as Grand Marshal than Mrs Wasserman, who recently retired from public office after serving as Newtown’s 106th District State Representative for 18 years.

“I think the parade is the best thing we do here in town. When I believe in something, I’m good at promoting it. The parade is easy to get excited about,” said Ms Caldwell.

Donations to the parade can be sent in care of Newtown Savings Bank, PO Box 497, Newtown CT 06470. Please make checks out to Newtown Labor Day Parade; or visit NewtownCTLaborDayParade.org for more information.