Well, it’s over. The 2013 Neponset River Watershed Annual Meeting has come and gone, and I for one, am thrilled with how the event transpired.

A few months ago, when Ian and Carly approached me with the request to take over the Annual Meeting, I thought, “Sure – should be fun!” Little did I know what I was really in for! In previous years, Carly had mysteriously worked her magic to pull everything together, and we all benefited from the good food, speakers, and venues – with limited knowledge of what it actually took to make these things happen. Now that I’ve briefly stepped in her shoes, I have to say, “Kudos, Carly!” for your many years of wonderful events – and thank you for your guidance and patience as I tried to replicate your past successes.

I felt like a wedding planner as I began the search for a location, caterer, and engaging speaker. After multiple phone calls, site visits, emails, meetings, and more emails – the plan finally came together. Beth Daley, who was my first choice as a guest speaker, was surprisingly accessible, agreeable, and – as we all know by now – a very engaging speaker. The beautiful Meditech atrium was a spectacular location for a rainy evening – and the security and catering team was more than helpful in making sure that we had a good time. Finally, the icing on the cake was the very talented and professional Milton High School jazz band (all recently graduated seniors), who kept us entertained during the cocktail hour.

So, call it beginner’s luck, but it all worked. The meeting went off without much of a hitch – and we even managed to surprise our Executive Director, Ian Cooke, with a gift for his 20 years of inspirational leadership. Honestly, I’m relieved that it’s over and I can start focusing back on my other projects, but at the same time, I’m already starting to think about 2014…

Nancy Fyler, Water Conservation Coordinator, June 28, 2013