Hospitality & Social
Hospitality & Social – printable copy – Hospitality
Chokefest
Clam Bake
Hospitality to New Shoalers
Hospitality to Speaker
Social Hour Drinks
Social Hour Drinks Volunteer
Social Hour Food
Social Hour Food Volunteer
Chokefest
Activity: Artichoke feast held on Village Lawn one afternoon during Social Hour (Usually Monday)
Responsibilities: To coordinate, organize, prepare sauces for, and serve at the Artichoke event.
Off Island:
- Make arrangements with the cook to purchase 130 large-sized artichokes from the outlet that provides the rest of the Island’s produce. Generally, the cook and management like to work with the Chairs so it is important to get clearance to talk (email) directly with the cook.
- Prepare sauces for the fest and bring labels. This could be done by the kitchen and could simply be mayonnaise, melted butter, and salad dressing. In the past about 8 or 10 different sauces have been prepared and brought to the Island in an ice chest. Examples include mayo with various spices such as Chinese 5 spices, curry, taco mix, pesto, etc. Be sure to have something for people worried about cholesterol such as low calorie salad dressing.
- Through the Chairs order hollandaise (about a quart) and melted butter. (These should be kept warm with a warmer so they don’t solidify). Have the Chairs alert Conference Services that we will need disposable plates, small cups for individual sauces, napkins, plastic spoons, large serving bowls for the sauces, 3 tables, trash cans, cans for the choke leaves to be composted.
- Have 130+ artichoke tickets so that they can be sold before the activity. They should be retrieved in exchange for an artichoke at the chokefest. A good time to sell the tickets is on the boat when you have a captive and concentrated audience but save a few for the Chairs and speakers who already will be on island. We made a set of tickets with 3×5 cards that have an artichoke stamp on the front with a number up to 130. We ask people to sign them so that the next year they will see the history of the ticket. None of this is necessary.
- We have made a chokefest T-shirt for several years, but this isn’t really necessary. We have made the design in advance and have advertised and taken orders before getting to the island. The shirts have been distributed before the chokefest which normally is on Monday.
On Island:
- Talk with cook about problems that we have had in the past with not getting the chokes cooked completely. They usually use the large steamers but they don’t cook evenly if they aren’t rotated. In recent years, the cook has steamed them in advance and held them for an hour or so.
- Talk with conference services about needs and timing.
- A half hour before social hour, set up sauces with labels. We usually have 3 or 4 people helping serve.
- Give artichoke toast (poem)
- Teach people how to eat artichokes, describe sauces.
Follow Up Responsibilities: General clean-up.
Total Cost: Check-in with the conference Treasurer regarding the pricing of the artichoke tickets
They have been $5.00 in recent years.
Materials: Artichokes, Sauces, 130+ Tickets
People Needed: 3-4 (To collect tickets, serve artichokes, serve sauces) + 130 artichoke eaters!
Past Volunteers: Dug Miller, Shannon Miller, Scotia Miller, Gimpel and Denno families.
Updated 2018
Clam Bake
Activity: Clam feast held on lawn between Vaughn and Parsonage one night during Social Hour.
Usually on Wednesday (unless it is the 4th of July!)
Responsibilities: Purchase materials including clams, sell clam tickets in advance, serve the clams, general clean-up.
Off Island:
- Either directly or through Chairs, contact Conference Services and establish contact for obtaining 2 bushels of clams and one of mussels (or 3 bushels of clams).
- From home bring about 100 tickets. From Conference Services (either directly or through the Chairs) purchase clams, butter, lemons, napkins, 100 strong, deep paper plates, and cups (100 for butter; 100 for broth).
- Sell tickets on the boat to the island (captive audience!)
On Island:
- Contact Conference Services again to ascertain that all is set for the event. Will need 2 tables, trash cans (three marked with a sign for clam shells and three for other trash), and utensils for serving (5-6) diameter flat strainer for clams and 2 ladles).
- On Wednesday be certain that clams have been purchased and that set up is ready.
- At function have 1 person responsible for taking tickets, 2 for serving clams, 1 to serve butter and clam juice, and 1 to see to it that the paper trash and clam shells are kept separate. The kitchen will bring the clams, butter, and clam broth.
- In general there should be about 12 clams per serving; no seconds until all of the tickets have been collected to be certain that everyone gets some.
Follow Up Responsibilities: Segregate trash into burnies and non-burnies and clean up area.
People Needed: 4-5
Materials: 2 Bushels of clams, 5 lbs. of butter, 10 lemons, 260 napkins, 100 paper plates (at least 8-10 in. diameter), 100 medium ice cream cups for clam broth, 100 small cups for butter.
Total Cost: Check-in with conference Treasurer regarding the pricing of the clam tickets and to determine if $10.00 per ticket will be adequate.
Comments: Need help (signs on trash cans) from Conference Services to segregate trash – clam shells from burnies. Don’t schedule the Clams on the 4th of July. They can’t be delivered that day.
Past Volunteers: Bill & Chris Gimpel, the Colby family, Annie & Scott Stewart, Jon Best & Sasha Rash Updated 2018
Hospitality to New Shoalers
Activity: To be certain that new shoalers, and those who are either new to All Star I or returning to the conference after a lengthy (~5-year) absence, feel welcomed and informed.
Responsibilities: Coordinate activities to be certain that new — or nearly new– shoalers have an experienced shoaler as a contact. Be certain that all feel not only welcomed, but included in the activities of the week.
Off Island:
- Contact chairs early and get a list of newcomers or those attending the conference for the first time or after a number of years, including their name, age, telephone number/e-mail. It is also helpful if the Chairs provide a list of “experienced shoalers” who could provide hospitality to the new families.
- Assign one welcoming person to each new shoaler family and ask them to contact the new shoalers as soon as possible from home to answer any questions they might have, to make them feel welcome, and to provide a personal contact if they need further assistance. An e-mail of welcome, a telephone call, and/or a personal contact with the new shoaler(s) is recommended. Wherever old shoalers can be matched with newcomers whom they know, so much the better.
- In June, check-in with each of your chosen Hospitality people to be certain that all new to All Star, or returning shoalers have been contacted.
- Contact editor of “The Boat News” to be sure that a word of welcome, and perhaps a short paragraph about the person/family, is included. Can contact new shoalers by email before conference.
On Island:
- Be certain that each welcoming person has personally met with their assigned new shoalers and has offered to serve as a contact while on the Island.
- Think about working with some of the old shoaler hospitality volunteers to set up one or two tables for “new – or those who feel new” shoalers to sit at for Saturday night and perhaps, Sunday — for the first few meals.
- Check in with newcomers periodically to make sure that they feel welcome and “in touch” with activities.
Follow Up Responsibilities: None
Total Cost: None
Materials: None
Comments: It is important that the name tags for new shoalers be marked so that they are easily recognized.
Past Volunteers: Jill Robbins, Dale & Keith Knox, Scott Stewart & Kathy Slothower Updated 2018
Hospitality to the Speaker and Minister
Activity: Check-ins with speaker and minister and their families.
Responsibilities: Make speaker and minister feel comfortable and help with any problems
Off Island:
- Call speaker and minister and answer any questions that they might have. Tell them that you will meet them at the pier and will help them during their stay on Star.
- See if there are any special needs that they might have while on the Island either for the lectures, sermon, or personally.
On Island:
- See to it that needs of speaker and minister are taken care of and that they and their families are introduced to as many conferees as possible
- Check with speaker and minister occasionally to be certain that everything is ok.
- It’s a good idea to see that they have seats at Musicale and Pel Show. You can also remind them about clam, artichoke and lobster tickets. In 2006, Jill Robbins provided a basket with snacks, etc., for their rooms to welcome them. Let them know about additional costs such as: rowboat rentals, extra child care, etc.
Follow Up Responsibilities: None
Total Cost: None
Materials: None
Comments: 2003 –It might be nice to have a welcome basket in the speaker’s room with snacks, drinks, and maybe a book about the Island. (est. cost $25 -$30).
Past Volunteers: Lorene & Ed Bossong, Elizabeth Yermack, Ray & Barb Hallows, Joanne Bulley
Updated 2018
Social Hour Wine and Beer Purchasers/Coordinators
Activity: To coordinate the Wine and Beer distribution during Social Hour each evening of the conference from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
Responsibilities: To plan for and obtain the kegs of beer and the cases of wine to serve at Social Hour, (to obtain the beer to serve at Poker Night and the Friday Farewell Party), to deliver the kegs and/or cases of wine to the freight boat on the first Saturday morning of the conference, to ration and take out each evening’s supply of wine bottles, and/or beer keg, to direct the beverage serving volunteers during set-up, to place the Social Hour contribution baskets out each evening during Social Hour, to collect the donations and to give them to the conference Treasurer.
Off Island:
- Obtain beverages: Wine (about 18+ cases; half white, half red), beer (5 half kegs – about 60 gal).
- Pack for delivery to island: Each box labeled “Box#—-going to Newton.” All beverages should be delivered to the Portsmouth dock early Saturday morning so they can go out on the Star Island freight boat. Part of the Wine and/or Beer coordinator group should go out on one of the earlier boats on Saturday in order to unpack, store, and begin chilling Saturday p.m. beverages.
- Contact the Chairs and have them add to the Conference Service list: Ice (3 bags per day), 8 pitchers, glasses for beer, and ask the Chairs to remind Conference Services to please get the All-Star I conference wine glasses from the storeroom early Saturday, so they can be washed and brought up to Newton Ctr. by 4:45 p.m. for Social Hour set-up.
On Island:
- Be sure that all items on the boat are delivered to Newton and are stored in the back room where they are locked up. Obtain key from main desk in Lobby. Begin chilling the beverages,
- At 4:45-5:00 pm each day begin set-up for the 5:30 Social Hour start time. Different Beverage Helpers will arrive at that time, and can be directed for set-up. Beverage tables are usually in the front room of Newton and on the deck, weather permitting. In Newton, there has been a Beer area, a Wine serving table, and a separate non-alcoholic beverage table. On the Lindquist Deck, there is one table for all beverages.
- During the Social Hour there are one or two committee members (or nightly helpers) tending each beverage table. They should have received and read their helper job description ahead of time, so they should be able to jump right in!
- Be certain that the money baskets are clearly visible (but not placed on tables with beer or wine).
- Store leftovers in back storage area and generally begin clean up at 6:10. The Pelicans will finish.
Follow Up Responsibilities: Make sure Truck Crew knows to collect the empty kegs to put on the luggage boat on Saturday morning so they can be returned on the mainland.
Total Cost: Contact the conference Treasurer to discuss the budget for beer purchasing and for wine purchasing.
Materials: Kegs of beer/cases of both red and white wine for 7 nights + (Poker & Friday Party Beer).
Past Volunteers: Tom & Tricia Coleman, Tommy & Heather Yermack, Phil & Pam Pierce
Updated 2018
Social Hour Beverage Helper
Activity: To help set-up, serve, and clean-up the beverage component of the nightly Social Hour on a given/assigned night of the conference.
Responsibilities: For this job, you will be serving Wine and Beer to fellow conferees during Social Hour on your designated nights. Please arrive 30 minutes before Social Hour begins to help with the set-up. Generally, there is a beverage table set-up on the Lindquist Deck and in the front room of Newton Ctr. You will help to bring out racks of glasses to your designated tables, set-up bottles of wine and pitchers of beer, and you will also help to set up a non-alcoholic beverage area. During the Social Hour, you will stand behind the Wine and Beer table with another volunteer and will pour either Wine or Beer for adults (21 years and over) until clean-up time begins.
At clean-up time (usually about 15 minutes before dinner), you will begin to remind people to bring back their wine glasses to the dishrack. You will dump out any alcohol left in abandoned cups on railings or tables. You will make sure that all disposable cups and bottles are put in the recycling barrel, and you will bring any leftover alcoholic or non-alcoholic beverages back up to Newton to the beverage storage closet. It is also nice to carry up the dishracks to the center table in Newton, and to wipe and fold up any tablecloths that were in your area and bring them up to Newton as well for storage in the beverage closet.
Thank you for your help!
Updated 2018
Social Hour Food Purchasers/Coordinators
Activity: To plan, purchase supplies, and prepare hors d’oeuvres for 150+ conferees for the pre-dinner Social Hour from 5:15-6:30 p.m. in Newton Ctr. for each of the 7 conference nights, Sat.-Fri.
Responsibilities: The person in charge of the food piece of Social Hour is responsible for the planning, purchasing, and bringing all of the food ingredients used for the Social Hour for the conference.
Off Island:
- Gather your recipes for the Social Hour for seven nights. Usually each night a dip is served, a spread is served, possibly a salsa/chips is served, and/or pick-up hors d’oeuvres are served.
- Purchase all food supplies that you will need to bring to the island for all of the 7 nights of Social Hour. This would include things such as pretzels, chips, crackers, gluten-free crackers, cheeses, dip and spread ingredients, salsa ingredients, crudité vegetables. All food items should be packed in coolers and boxes, and will go out on the island freight boat early in the morning on Saturday.
- Being in charge of the food piece of Social Hour, you might decide to come out on an earlier boat on Saturday so you can unpack all of the food items, and begin prepping Saturday night’s Social Hour food.
- Ensure with the Chairs that 3-4 Social Hour Food Volunteers are scheduled for each night and that a schedule is created for each participant to receive, and to be posted on the extra blackboard in the lobby. The Chairs, you, or another designated person can create the schedule.
- Along with all of the food items, you should also bring any tools that you need for the food preparation and the serving pieces. Items like: Tablecloths for the food tables and possibly the drink tables, cocktail napkins, serving trays for crudité, cheese and crackers, serving bowls for dips and spreads, larger serving bowls for chips, any serving utensils needed, and your own peelers, sharp knives, sponges, dish soap, and dish towels. (There are some items in the Newton Kitchen, but things tend to change in there on a yearly basis!)
- If you are going to need items from Conference Services create a list of your items and forward it to the Chairs at least 3 weeks before the conference. They will provide the island with the conference’s full list of Conference Service needs 2 weeks before the conference.
On Island:
- Things on Saturday can be a bit busy once you have arrived on the island. You may want to bring out prepared items in your coolers to serve that night. Once you arrive on the island, you will head up to Newton and begin unpacking your boxes and coolers.
- Social Hour is at 5:15 each evening and the Food Volunteers are asked to arrive at 4:45 to help you to set up the food table on the Lindquist Deck and in the back room of Newton Center.
- Each day you will spend time in the Newton Center kitchen preparing that evening’s Social Hour food. Generally, 10-12 cups of dip are prepared, 6-8 cups of spreads are prepared, 8-10 cups of Salsa are served, and the other items that you have planned will be made. There is a large refrigerator in the kitchen for you to store all of your refrigerated items.
- Your Food Helpers will arrive at 4:45 each afternoon to arrange crackers, to cut any cheeses served that night, to set up the food tables, and to help refill food items that need refilling during Social Hour.
- Direct your helpers to bring empty platters to the kitchen for washing during the Social Hour. You can ask the helpers if one will be willing to do the washing piece.
- At the end of the Social Hour, you will put away any left overs. Some of the left overs can be saved and served at the Friday Farewell Party. You should do a check-in with those assigned Friday Night Farewell Party Volunteers during the week, so they will know if there will be enough food items for that party, or whether they will need to supplement. The Friday Farewell Party Volunteers are responsible for setting up that party. They will just need to have the kitchen door opened for them so they can get the food out of the refrigerator.
- On Friday, you should be packing up all of your preparation supplies to go on the boat on Saturday morning. You should leave a reminder note for Truck Crew (in their Lobby Mailbox) to make sure to come up to Newton to pick-up your coolers and boxes. (Beverage people will have kegs to go on the boat as well.)
Follow Up Responsibilities: Make sure to give the Conference Treasurer your costs for reimbursement.
Total Cost: Contact the All-Star I Treasurer regarding your food budget for the week.
Past Volunteers: Jenny Easter Nelson, Pam Pierce, Michelle Cohen, Sally Easter
Updated 2018
Social Hour Food Helper
Activity: To help set-up, and clean-up the food component of the nightly Social Hour on a given/assigned night of the conference.
Responsibilities: For this job, you will be helping to set-up the food platters outside the kitchen up in Newton Center on your designated afternoons. Please arrive up in Newton at 4:45 pm. Check-in with the person in charge of the food (generally, he/she will be right behind the counter in the kitchen!) and you will be given a prep task. Usually, there are two set up food areas for each Social Hour. One in the back room of Newton, and one on the Lindquist Deck. You will put tablecloths on the food tables, bring out napkins, then bring down designated food platters about 5-10 minutes before Social Hour begins. Generally, two platters of each food item are prepared, and one goes to each of the food tables. As Social Hour commences you are welcome to join in the party, and as you see food platters that have become empty, you can bring them to the kitchen counter for washing. Sometimes there are more crackers etc. to add to the platters when they become low. The person in charge of the food will let you know.
At about 6:15, you will begin bringing all of the food platters to the kitchen counter. You will help to put any extra food away, or you might help to wash the platters. Tablecloths from the food tables should also be wiped down, then folded and brought to the kitchen counter.
Thank you for your help! Updated 2018