O’Fallon Boosters Say Goodbye to Mayfest and Basketball 

As the saying goes… “All good things must come to an end”.  It is with a great amount of thought and mixed emotions that the O’Fallon Boosters announce the decision to discontinue hosting the annual Mayfest and the Club’s Basketball Program. Mayfest  For 35 years the O’Fallon Boosters have hosted the O’Fallon Mayfest.  More than just a money making event for the club, this event has been a main attraction for the O’Fallon Community, traditionally the first outside festival in the spring bringing thousands out after a long winter – a chance to enjoy the nice weather, celebrate the completion of another school year, and just plain have some fun.  The members of the O’Fallon Boosters and their Board of Directors arrived at this difficult decision based on membership safety concerns for the citizens of O’Fallon during the event.  Recent problems related to groups of individuals from outside our community who choose to come to the Mayfest with the sole purpose of causing trouble on Saturday evening place members of our community at a level of risk that the club believes is unacceptable.  O’Fallon city officials, including the Mayor and Chief of Police, were consulted, but the decision was made solely by the O’Fallon Boosters.   The partnerships made over the years with the many vendors who have used the Mayfest as a venue to raise money for their many noteworthy causes will always be cherished by the Boosters.  We thoroughly understand the impact this decision can have on these organizations and want you all to know we gave this very serious consideration. We know that for many, you will lose revenue.  The Mayfest typically averaged      25 - 30 vendors each year, such as local PTO’s, who relied on the   Mayfest as one of their primary fundraisers. Over the past years the O’Fallon Boosters have seen their net profit dwindling.  Keeping with the rising costs of economic times, the fees for police protection, EMS and park labor have substantially impacted the net profit for the Mayfest.  For an event that takes almost a year to organize and hundreds of volunteer hours, the revenue producing factors played into the decision.   Finally, O’Fallon Boosters volunteer membership has been dwindling over the years.  Continuing to plan, organize, and execute such a major event with only a handful of active volunteers have taken a huge toll on those few individuals.  As our Community has grown over the years, so have the many sports programs and other club offerings.  Simply put, finding committed and dedicated volunteers has gotten harder and harder each year.  With the exception of the city of O’Fallon support services, the successful planning, organizing and executing of Mayfest is accomplished by volunteers.  

Basketball

Thirty-five years ago the O’Fallon Boosters started as a program to ensure that all children in the O’Fallon Community could be introduced to a variety of sports, regardless of ability or income.  For many years, the O’Fallon Boosters Club, other than the O’Fallon Jaycees, was the only such organization in the O’Fallon area.  However, in recent years more and more opportunities for the youth of O’Fallon to participate in other complementary (and often competing) sports programs have come into existence.  Organizations such as the O’Fallon Parks and Recreation Department, YMCA, and various other sports organizations have grown their programs and have created a sports rich community with multiple offerings that did not previously exist.  The high competition for gym space is one of the biggest reasons the O’Fallon Boosters will no longer run their basketball program.  The O’Fallon Booster Basketball Program has been relegated to a lower priority for obtaining gym time with priority going to other organizations such as the ever expanding Parks and Recreation Programs.  Just as difficult as the decision to discontinue the Mayfest, the Boosters are left with no alternative but to discontinue the offering of a Basketball Program.  We hope the Parks and Recreation will find it easier to manage and schedule the facilities under their control, when there is one less organization with whom to compete.  The Boosters will continue to run its fall and Spring Soccer, Volleyball, and Baseball programs. Volunteers will continue to be needed, to serve as commissioners, coaches, assistant coaches, and other roles.  The future of these programs is also tied to retaining qualified individuals and the availability of facilities (e.g. green space, playing fields, ball diamonds, etc.). As we transition away from basketball, we would like to thank all the O’Fallon school administrators, staff, and custodians that allowed the Boosters organization to come into their facilities and set up our program.  Only with your incredible help and cooperation were we able to provide a quality program for our kids.  And finally, a huge thank you to all the parents and concerned citizens of O’Fallon who over the years have volunteered their time to pass on the thrill of sports and sportsmanship to our kids.  The Boosters are not going away, just scaling back. Please continue to support our other sports programs. Questions regarding the O’Fallon Boosters Club can be directed to any of our club officers, by visiting our website at ofallonboosters.org. 

Sincerely,

The O’Fallon Boosters Club Board of Directors