Festival coordinator leaving town for ‘the best and right thing’...

By Harry Kyle (The Southington Citizen)

It was his future that initial­ly led John Ryan to take leave of his post as coordinator of Southington’s Apple Harvest Festival, but, in a strange twist of fate, his past radically changed those plans. Ryan announced after this year’s 39th annual celebration that he will be unable to coor­dinate the festival after this year because of a new job op­portunity. But all that changed after a visit last weekend to his hometown of Spokane, Wash. Instead of taking on the challenges of a new job, Ryan will instead pick up stakes and move back to Spokane to be with and take care of his 84­year-old father, John D. Ryan. Ryan’s stepmother recently died after 55 years of mar­riage, and his father is recu­perating from quadruple by­pass surgery.

“He’s still in relatively good health,” Ryan said, “even after what he’s been through recent­ly. But after my visit there this past weekend, and talking to my father, I feel he really needs me. So, for me, this is the best and the right thing to do.” Ryan hopes to have the move completed by Thanksgiving. “I’m a Westerner at heart, so it won’t be too much of a change as far as that goes,” Ryan said. “But I will miss the friendships I have developed since I moved here in 1984.” Ryan was going to take a po­sition with Creative Dimen­sions, an exhibit house in Plainville. They build exhibits that companies use to display their products at trade shows. He would have been in charge of the installment of the ex­hibits at shows throughout the country, along with their dis­mantling. “This was a great opportuni­ty for me, and it turned into a difficult decision to make, but family always comes first,” Ryan said.

APPLE HARVEST THOUGHTS Ryan called his Apple Har­vest experiences, “one of the most challenging yet gratify­ing things I have ever done.” It was complicated and frustrating, but satisfying at the same time,” he said. Ryan attributes much of that fulfillment to the people involved with the festival. “The people who work at the festival have a real enthusiasm for what they do, as do the peo­ple, families and children who attend. It’s so gratifying seeing people everywhere enjoying themselves,” Ryan said. “I ap­preciate the town giving me the opportunity to get involved with such a great event.” Asked what he would tell his successor, Ryan said, “don’t try and reinvent the wheel. Take advantage of the people and the plan in place, and just tweak it as needed. Always re­member you have a town and a local government willing to support it.” “And keep it a community event,” he added.

WHAT NEXT?
“John’s departure will be a great loss to the town,” said Town Councilor Christopher Palmieri. “The fact that he was able to maintain the quality and tradition of the festival af­ter taking over is a grand trib­ute to him.” Palmieri also chairs the town’s Apple Harvest Festival Advisory Committee. He said the panel is soliciting three types of Requests for Propos­als for the 2008 Apple Harvest Festival. “One will be for the festival coordinator’s position,” Palmieri said, “while another will be for a marketing direc­tor to solicit sponsorships. The third one will be for a com­bined position, one that com­bines both jobs, similar to what John was operating un­der for the past two festivals.” Those proposals are due in the Town Manager’s office by 10 a.m. on Friday, Nov. 9. Once opened, they will be reviewed by the committee, including any necessary interviews. Once completed, a recommen­dation will be made to the Town Council, who will make the final decision. Since it is a professional services contract, it is not sub­ject to the lowest bid require­ment that is present in other town contracts. “We hope to have a decision by the end of November,” Palmieri said, “with the end of the year being the absolute fi­nal date.”