Jack had also arrived and claimed a seat off to the side, with Hannah. The thumbs-up he gave her, along with Hannah’s wave, also helped quiet her nerves.

Okay.

She could do this.

After setting her notes in front of her, she laid out her vision for the structure of the festival. They’d launch with the usual farmers’ market, spiced up with free entertainment and enhanced by a ticketed sample-of-Hope-Harbor food tent. Concurrent masterclass sessions would be scheduled on Saturday, if demand warranted. More entertainment was on the roster for Saturday night. The schedule would be open on Sunday morning, giving those who were inclined an opportunity to attend church or visit the lighthouse. The last round of sessions would begin at noon and wrap up by three o’clock so attendees could return home and be ready for the workweek.

“In terms of programming—we have a stellar lineup, as you already know. We’ll have to find venues for all the sessions, but possibilities include the church halls, the special event facility at the lighthouse, and local schools. We’re open to other suggestions. Like Marci said, we do have to fast-track our planning. A five-week start-to-finish schedule is ambitious—but necessary if we want to salvage the summer tourist season.”

And she intended to hammer out as many details as possible in the meeting with committee heads on Tuesday night so they could announce a detailed agenda over the weekend and begin taking ticket orders next week.

“Before I turn this back over to Marci to wrap up, I’d like to open the floor to any comments or questions.” Christi positioned her notebook in front of her and picked up her pen.

Beth raised her hand, and as Christi acknowledged her, the woman maneuvered herself to her feet. “I do have one thought. Many of the people we hope to attract may be parents. I wonder if we should add a few classes for the children who attend. That could be an added draw.”

“Excellent suggestion, Beth. Do you have any specific ideas?”

“Well, in keeping with the theme, I could see an art class of some sort. There’s one being held now at the high school, taught by an instructor from a college in Coos Bay. I’m certain we could find qualified local people to teach those kinds of sessions.”

Several other youth-centered ideas followed, from asking a state park ranger to do a hands-on tide pool session for kids at Starfish Pier to a tutorial on sandcastle building. The local first-grade teacher also offered to recruit her coworkers to provide supervised day care for parents with children too young to participate in the other activities.

Christi furiously scribbled notes as the discussion took on a life of its own, ranging from venues and ticket prices to a myriad of other subjects.