Joint committee to plan Barbecue, Bulldog days

DECATUR — Chamber of Commerce members and Parks and Recreation Committee members agreed to appoint a committee of three persons from each organization to further discuss the possibility of combining the Decatur Barbecue and Bulldog Days into a two-day event.

The two organizations formed the committee to further explore the concerns and ideas that were brought up in Monday’sChamber of Commerce meeting.

Chamber of Commerce members appointed Stacy Brooks, Shana Tucker and Jean Johnson to serve on the committee. Parks and Recreation members asked for more time to meet again before they appoint any members. They plan to meet on Dec. 14 at 5 p.m. and ask all Parks and Recreation Committee members to appear so they can have input on the decision.

Rick Tilly, of the Parks and Recreation Committee, presented some of the ideas from their last meeting, including selling hot dogs in addition to chicken dinners, holding a car show on Saturday, having a carnival onFriday, Saturday and Sunday, and having hot air balloons on Saturday.

Chamber of Commerce member Stacy Brooks pointed out that joining forces could make the Barbecue a bigger and better event, but he also voiced some of the Chamber’s concerns.

Splitting profits 60/40, an idea presented at the last Parks and Recreation Committee meeting, would not be a good idea because the Chamber uses profits from chicken dinner sales to pay for entertainment, Brooks explained.

The Chamber also generates most of the money it uses to pay for entertainment through donationsfrom local businesses, Lester Austin said after the meeting.

It would not be a good idea to split money from donations, he explained. The Barbecue is not a profit-generating event, Austin said. In the past it has cost around $30,000 to put on.

Brooks asked the Parks and Recreation Committee to elect officers and a president so the group has more structure and stronger leadership. He also suggested a line-item approach to managing the finances.

“We want to work things out ... We want to all get along and do the best for the community as a whole,” Chamber of Commerce president Royce Johnson said.