Many willing hands are needed for the Krewe of St. Andrews to accomplish our Mission.

BELOW ARE MANY WAYS YOU CAN GET INVOLVED

our Committees

Royal Ball

Chair

Judy Biddle

Responsibilities & Duties

The Royal Ball committee, working with the King and Queen, plans and organizes the annual Royal Ball. The committee creates decorations (or coordinates some decorations with an outside vendor) to decorate the entrance to ballroom and the check-in table at the entry, handles RSVP’s and attendee check-in at the Ball, and organizes the Ball seating chart. The committee prepares the Tableau script with the King and Queen and may assist in obtaining the Master/Mistress of Ceremonies and Color Guard.

Royal Ball Program

Chair

Kathy Davis

Purpose

Develop the Royal Ball Program for the yearly Royal Ball.

Responsibilities & Duties

The Royal Ball Program Committee, working with the King and Queen, plans and organizes the yearly Ball Program.  The committee works with Creative Printing to compile information for the program.  The program consists of a new cover every year reflecting the theme chosen for that year, biographies for the King/Queen and the Royal Court, past King/Queens and their messages to the Court, and all the advertisers that want to participate in the Program.

Den Maintenance

Chair

Jerry Kelly

Woodie Newmans (Co-Chair)

Purpose

Maintain the building along with the property grounds and maintain the KOSA bar as a source of income to help defray monthly expenses and costs of routine maintenance.

Responsibilities & Duties
  • Insure regular and timely grounds and landscape service.
  • Change A/C filters, clear drain lines regularly.
  • Inspect trash cans regularly and clean as necessary.
  • Respond in a timely manner to any repairs needed.

Den Rentals

Chair

Evette Parker

Sharon DiTomasso (Co-Chair)

Purpose

The KOSA den is available for rent to both members and non-members.  The day-to-day operations of these rentals are overseen by the Den Rental Management Service (DRMS).  The Den Rental Chair serves as a check and balance between the DRMS and the KOSA Board and provides support to the DRMS. 

Responsibilities & Duties

The DRMS is tasked with showcasing the Den venue, securing signed contracts and deposits/payments and coordinating all aspects of den rentals to non-members. This includes setup, teardown, and bar management and general cleanup of the den after rental events. 

The Den Rental Committee is there to aid the DRMS in these responsibilities and step in if the DRMS is unable to provide services due to an emergency. The DRMS and the Den Committee Chair will maintain a list of committee members who can assist with various tasks, including:

 

  • Linens: Pick-up/Drop-off Linens at the cleaners, wash spandex linens, and organize inventory.
  • Trash: Take trashcans to road on trash days.
  • Supplies: Inventory, organize and maintain shopping list for kitchen and bathrooms supplies.
  • Calendar: Manage event scheduling and cleaning.
  • Tables/Chairs: Assist with Set-up and Tear-down for events.
  • Cleaning: Assist with cleaning when a contracted cleaning crew is unavailable, which can occur during back-to-back events over a weekend.
  • Rentals – Assist the DRMS in showcasing the venue when the DRMS is not available.

Draw Down

Chair

Kurt Bergman

Harley Castille (Co-Chair)

Purpose

The Drawdown and Halloween Party “DHP” is focused on hosting a key event to support the Krewe’s love of dressing up, dancing, having fun while raising funds through a reverse raffle, attendance tickets and 50/50 raffle to support the KOSA Den operating fund.

Responsibilities & Duties

Numbered event tickets are sold in advance and additional tickets are sold at the event to encourage participation beyond the limited number of event tickets sold (usually 300). Ticket holders attend the event where, in addition to food, beverages, music and merriment, ticket numbers are drawn until only one remains and is declared the money winner.

Fundraising

Community Involvement

Chair

Eric Billot

Purpose

To represent the Krewe of St. Andrews with networking at the Bay County Chamber of Commerce events.

Responsibilities & Duties

Support membership in the Bay Country Chamber of Commerce with a Krewe liaison attending each respective meeting.  They also sponsor and assist in the organization of the annual St. Andrews Easter Egg Hunt, the annual Blessing of the Fleet/Sock Burning festival and the monthly first Friday events.

Float/Trailer

Responsibilities & Duties

The chair of this committee is a member of the Den Committee who has oversight over the float barns and the movement and road-worthiness of the floats. This committee works with the float captains to arrange for repairs and/or maintenance of the floats.

Fall Seafood Festival

Chair

James Weber

Purpose

Raise funds that are applied to the principal mortgage debt on the Den.

Responsibilities & Duties

Each fall, KoSA hosts a seafood festival at the St. Andrews area.  The committee organizes and advertises the event, solicits vendors for the event, sells tickets and works the event by selling/collecting tickets, serving beverages and entertaining attendees with floats, games and music.

Golf Tournament

Chair

Jay Rea

Pat Rea (Co-Chair)

Purpose

The Golf Committee is charged with organizing and conducting an annual fund raising golf tournament.  This tournament raises funds for the Krewe Scholarship Fund and for the Krewe’s den operation.  The Scholarship Committee uses these funds to award scholarships to local adult students who wish to attend local colleges and/or Haney Technical School.

Responsibilities & Duties

The primary responsibility of this Committee is to secure an appropriate venue for the tournament acceptable to the Board of Directors and to organize and conduct the tournament on an annual basis.  The tournament has been played at several different local venues due to changing circumstances such as cost increases, sale of the venue or closing of the venue.  Highlights of responsibilities are outlined below.

 

  • Survey the on course of local golf venues to determine the best value for the tournament.
  • Work with the golf venues about availability and terms and conditions for the event.
  • Make recommendations to the Board for the venues that provide the best opportunity to maximize fund-raising and outline the costs involved and terms and conditions required by the course for the vet.
  • Upon receiving Board approval, enter into contract with venue securing the event date and time.
  • Develop the Golf Tournament Master Information packet for presentation to past and future sponsors.
  • Solicit tournament sponsors. Past sponsor lists are available as a starting point.
  • Solicit teams for the tournament. Past team lists are available.
  • Depending on the terms and conditions imposed by the venue –
    • The Committee arrange for food and beverages for the players and event volunteers
    • Handles registration of the players/teams on the day of event
    • Arranges and solicits items for any raffle or silent auctions to be held at the time of the event.
    • Provides prizes for tournament winners (usually 1st, 2nd and 3rd place, Longest Drive (male & female) and Closest to the pin. If possible a Hole-In-One Sponsor is secured.

Internal Communications

Chair

Moe Parker

Tina Head (Co-Chair)

Purpose

Provide tools for electronic communications amongst the Krewe members.  These duties will overlap with social media interactions and the Krewe website(s).

Responsibilities & Duties

This committee handles all internal communications, most of which are disseminated via email such as the twice-weekly eblasts. Information communicated includes notice of social events, quarterly meetings, committee meetings, as well as other information as approved by the Board.  A monthly newsletter, edited and published by a member volunteer, is also distributed via email and contains committee information, news of upcoming events and photos of recent events, welcomes new members and announces member birthdays and anniversaries.   Business card-size ad space is sold to businesses at a cost of $50 per year.

This committee works closely with the Public Relations committee during the Mardi Gras media blitz. The KoSA website, standrewsmardigras.com, is continually updated to keep members and the community informed of upcoming and current activities. The password for the members-only section of the website changes periodically. Official Krewe internal communication avenues (excluding paid newsletter ads) are not to be used to solicit members or advertise personal businesses.

Kids Parade

Chair

Pam Wiggins

Carmen Farias-Billot (Co-Chair)

Purpose

Responsible for the coordination and logistics of Krewe of St. Andrews’ Kids’ parade.

Responsibilities & Duties

Their responsibilities include:

  • Establish parade route and timely file parade permits with the City.
  • Advertise parade and solicit entrants (schools, businesses, children organizations).
  • Communicate with all participating Krewe’s and parade entrants regarding parade entry guidelines and forms.
  • Process submitted parade applications as well as enforce safety guidelines and rules of conduct.
  • Work closely with festival organizers and attend pre-festival meeting with the city.

 

Festival

Responsibilities & Duties

The Main Parade, Kids’ Parade and Pet Parade are three (3) separate committees that are responsible for the coordination and logistics of all Krewe of St. Andrews’ parades. The Main Parade responsibilities include:

  • Coordination from the Krewe den to all festival activities.
  • Help with coordination between the Krewe and the City of Panama City. This includes fire, police and other emergency responders, safety issues needing to be addressed, timelines for each festival, staging of the floats and removal and replacement of floats into the float barns.
  • Address needs for items such as the barricade trailer, blocking off areas for floats and Krewe member parking.
  • Work with the float captains to assure repairs and readiness of the float fleet.
  • Help with the safety and road worthiness of floats as well as their rotation for use in festivals.
  • Enforce safety and conduct of visiting Krewe’s and their floats and riders.
  • Coordinate with the Krewe Ambassadors who work with out-of-town festivals.
  • Help to supply their needs for floats and riders.
  • Work with the Kids Parade coordinator, the Pet Parade coordinator as well as the main parade.

Merchandise

Chair

Jon Biddle

Responsibilities & Duties

Merchandise- Various KoSA products such as t-shirts, trading pins, medallion beads, hats and posters are ordered and made available for sale at KoSA events, socials and at the Mardi Gras Festival. The Merchandise committee coordinates the purchase of throw beads for Krewe members each year.  Members place their order and orders are shipped in bulk to the Den for distribution prior to parade season. After the theme for the upcoming Mardi Gras season is chosen by the general membership, the committee works with the King and Queen-Elect and a graphic artist to develop a logo design which, once approved by the Board, will be used on all merchandise for the year.

Newsletter

Chair

Julie Slatcoff

Membership

Chair

Ellen Davis

Lucy Podolske (Co-Chair)

Responsibilities & Duties

The Membership committee provides new member orientation/training, develops/updates/distributes the Membership handbook, may organize membership drives, orders name tags, and provides names of new members to committee chairs for inclusion on committees.  Membership may submit all new member’s names to the Webmaster for e-blasts and newsletters if this task is not performed by the Treasurer/Board.  Membership committee is responsible for placing all new members on floats for Krewe parades.  The committee hosts BunKOSA (Bunko) for members and guests for fun evenings of games, prizes and food.  The committee also manages KoSA Cares which notifies members of surgery, illness and death of a member of the KoSA family (only by permission of the patient or family members as situations arise).

Social

Chair

Pat Rea

Lucy Podolske (Co-Chair)

Purpose

Establishes dates for the many major Krewe of St. Andrews social events.

Responsibilities & Duties

The committee plans and organizes the location, food, music, and decorations for these events then handles the setup and decoration of the event venue. These events include the Fat Tuesday party in February/March, the Luau in June/July, the Coronation/Going Out celebration in August (coordinated with both incoming and outgoing Queens), and the Christmas party in December. The committee may assist with the Marriage to the Sea party and the after-parade party following Krewe of St. Andrew’s main Mardi Gras parade and may plan and organize happy hour socials and $20 Balls throughout the year.

Pet Parade

Chair

Julie Slatcoff

Purpose

To have community involvement in the Mardi Gras Festival with a specific Pet Parade that will attract adults and children.

Responsibilities & Duties

The Main Parade, Kids’ Parade and Pet Parade are three (3) separate committees that are responsible for the coordination and logistics of all Krewe of St. Andrews’ parades. The Pet Parade responsibilities include:

  • Establish parade routes.
  • File parade permits with the City in a timely fashion.
  • Obtain the necessary number/types of barricades for the parade route.
  • Parade committee members also communicate with all participating Krewe and parade entrants regarding parade entry guidelines and forms.
  • They process submitted parade applications as well as enforce safety guidelines and rules of conduct.
  • Select an animal related 501.c3 to be the beneficiary of the funds raised
  • Work with CF signs to develop pet parade advertisement poster and dog tag decor.  
  • Obtain crowns and dog tags for pet court winners.
  • Obtain raffle prizes for raffle.
  • Place posters around town – focus on vets, groomers, pet supply stores
  • Request current Royals to attend and judge for the pet court.
  • Set up and run the pet parade the day of parade.  Announce winners of pet court and raffle prizes.
  • Tear down and clean up after pet parade.
  • Account for all funds collected and take to the accountant.

Public Relations

Chair

Leisa Ward

Purpose

Promote the Krewe of St. Andrews Mardi Gras event and any other event that is open to the general public.

Responsibilities & Duties

This committee works closely with local media, radio and TV, to promote special events held by KoSA, including publicity locally and in surrounding counties and states for the annual Mardi Gras Festival. The publicity ranges to the North, Dothan, Alabama, West to Jacksonville, Florida, and East to Pensacola, Florida and South Georgia.  The committee handles press releases relating to KoSA’s community work. 

Scholarship

Chair

Patti Fowler

Sandy Harrison (Co-Chair)

Purpose

Effectively and efficiently manage the Scholarship Program for the Krewe of St. Andrews, follow the guidelines set, review applications, interview potential candidates, and disperse funds to the local institutions as determined.

Responsibilities & Duties

The Scholarship committee works with local colleges to establish scholarships and endowments.  KoSA currently funds an endowment at Gulf Coast State College and offers several scholarships for students wishing to attend Haney Technical College, FSU Panama City, Gulf Coast State College and Troy State Panama City.

Scholarships are awarded two times a year to applicants who are 23 years old or older and who are planning to pursue post-high school education at a local institute of higher learning.  The application form is listed on the KoSA website (standrewsmardigras.com) with deadlines on October 15 and July 15. Applications are reviewed by the committee and top applicants are interviewed to determine award recipients. The total amount awarded with each round of scholarships is determined by the amount raised through fundraising events. Committee members may also choose to assist in the selection of the recipient of the KoSA endowed scholarship at Gulf Coast State College.