"Every town needs a newspaper."
"Yes there is a lot to be done and now that there is some confirmation on the circus, fireworks, and the Territorial Governor, I will put together a special edition with all of this news and the request for volunteers, as there will be a lot to get done beforehand. Maybe the ranches can provide some men to help, even though it is spring roundup. We'll see how this shakes out as we get further along. Phin agreed, and with the plan.
"Now, what we need is a list of what is needed as far as these volunteers are concerned. And, I intend to state the need for housing as there will be an influx of people for this thing. So, what do you think? What needs doing?" He asked.
@JulieS
@Bongo
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
"Could talk with Miss Bowen, over t' th' school," Addy suggested, "maybe think'a some projects they c'n do for school?" She knew that teachers had a diabolical way of taking something fun and making it a chore, although what she had in mind sounded fun. "Th' older ones c'n help with any buildin' needs doin', an' th' young'n's c'n maybe organize games fer th' kids...potato sack race, three-legged race, dunkin' booth, that sort'a thing?"
Made good sense to make this a community event, right? Let everyone get involved and share in the pride. "An' good idea, too, ta make some'a th' booths an' such reusable. An' I c'n ask th' Pikes about th' brewery," she offered, "I got a delivery out there anyway."
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
"Yes, noit sure when they would be in town again anyway. That place could house any number of folks. I had a look at it with them, and they realize that it could take months to get a pumper and get it out here without the railroad." Speed explained. "So I'm thinking that they might well let us use it, maybe we can rope in some of their hands to help out with what needs doing, or see who here in town can help out. I know they said something about cleaning the place up and maybe painting the inside or whitewashing it."
"Running a story in the paper is making more sense as we go along here." Phin agreed, the paper could certainly pull together men who need the work., "Of course, now we're talking wages for labor. And where would that come from? That's the question. We need money for the circus, fireworks, labor, and who knows what all."
@Bongo, @JulieS
"I think raising money will be the hardest part of this," Sarah surmised, "With the school raising funds to get repairs done by putting on a charity performance at The White Rose, it will take some convincing to get people to part with more of their money."
She frowned, "What we need to do is find something that will help us get the funds we need. Maybe some sort of horse race that requires an entry fee?"
@ [Bongo]
@ [Flip
"Every town needs a newspaper."
"A horse race? Now that might be something that would attract riders as well as bettors, like they had at that prize fight. Yes, that mighty work!" Phin agreed wholeheartedly. 'I wouldn't think that would be all that difficult to get set up, would you?" He looked at Speed.
"No, I don't believe so. And I think there would be a good field of horses and riders that wlould want to show off their prowess." The Marshal said. "I doubt the Town Council would have a problem with it, of course, they would have to have a meeting about all of this that we are proposing. There could be some blowback about the betting and how it would benefit the celebration."
"Well yes, there lies the planning for this. Betting is one thing, entry fees another, and how do we skim a part of the wagers for the event, or do we charge an admission to the event, if that would even be possible?" Phin presented.
@JulieS @Bongo
"I agree that it would be impossible to charge people to watch the race as they could watch it from anywhere along the route," Sarah surmised, "The money will definitely have to be made with the entry fee. As for wagers, well...what people do with their own money is up to them but if they wish to give some of their winnings to help fund the event, I guess we won't be saying no to that."
Sarah frowned, "Also, there's no way we can really control the wagering. There are a lot of enterprising people in town who will probably set up their own betting books or bet between themselves."
Enterprising people was, she supposed, the nicest way of speaking about the likes of Franklin Fortner and Ben Simon, who, even though he was a good man, was still a gambler at heart.
@ [Bongo]
@ [Flip
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
"Gambling on the races would be something for the saloon and places like that to take up. I doubt the county or the city would want the headache of it." Speed advised. "It would be a real headache for anyone to deal with that other than those places or persons that have that expertise."
"I agree, too much for this committee to deal with, but entrance fees? Absolutely!" Phin stated. That can be handled much more easily than betting. Let the boys running the Stardust, or the whorehouse handle that end of it."
@Bongo
@JulieS
Sit down, shut up, don't touch anythin'
"So, now, what's ta do?" Addy asked, "Pick a day, print fliers an' plot a course? Shouldn't be too hard ta make a course, just decidin' on where...in town'er out, an' how long."
Honestly, once they could get word around, the rest of the organization would be simple enough for a horse race, and could even wait until the fliers were printed.
"Well, gotta decide how much entry is, an' how much'a that'll go ta prize money."
"The law is the law."
"Mining's not everyone's choice of hobbies, it just happens to be mine."
Speed grinned, "Most that would enter are dollar-a-day ranch hands, so we can't make the entry fee too steep."
"Agreed, and a fee of fifty cents or a dollar might not be too steep for most; likely, fifty cents would certainly be more attractive to those who would want to enter. And what about cash donations? How's that coming along, Speed?" Phon asked.
"Most of the costs have been covered so far. The circus, the fireworks, thanks to many folks. We still need to hit a number of the businesses, and you know, once expenses are covered, prize money could come from the rest of the donated money needs to be used for the event, or maybe any surplus funds after the event, we could help out with the school and their endeavor to raise funds." Speed was quick to add.
"Every town needs a newspaper."
Phin smiled, "Then my next edition will help solve some of these things. We have a proof ready. Here, I'll get it." He said as he rose and went to the press where the copy lay on the board.
"I am working on a poster for volunteers, which should be out in a day or so, I mean, we have to run this edition and get it out." He added.