London Strawberry Festival
London, Ohio

2009 Parents’ Contract

1.	Full cooperation is expected at all times from the royalty member, his/her parents, all family members & anyone acting on royalty member's behalf. Guidelines are not open for debate. Be aware that no 2 years are alike & that revisions are made to the contracts.
2.	Parents/family members need to be aware of the guidelines in the royalty contract and abide by them.
3.	This contract is not all inclusive. Decisions of the Queens' director and/or the London Strawberry Festival Board are final.
4.	Parents must attend contestants meeting with contestant prior to competition. Contestants must agree to royalty contract. Contestant's parents must agree to parents' contract and royalty contract before a contestant may participate in the pageant. There will be no exceptions to meeting attendance.
5.	A meeting will be held with the royalty and their parents to acquaint them with expectations answer questions about travel, luncheon, etiquette, etc. Attendance is mandatory for the royalty member and at least one parent. Failure to attend will result in having to appear before the board before title may be worn & probable removal from the court.
6.	There will be 3-4 mandatory parent meetings during the year. There will usually be one in the fall, one in Jan. or Feb., & one in May, & one just before the Strawberry Festival. These will be scheduled as needed.
7.	Notarized medical release, liability forms, contracts & all other paperwork must be returned to the Queen chairperson before any member of royalty will be permitted to attend festivals or events. A copy will be provided to any chaperone traveling with a royalty other than own daughter/son. We also request that other family members and adults traveling with royalty provide a health statement for travel emergency purposes.
8.	Parents must be willing and able to travel with their son/daughter as he/she represents the London Strawberry Festival at many other state wide festivals. Royalty will be expected to participate in other promotional activities representing the London Strawberry Festival such as pageants, luncheons, parades, speaking engagements, interviews, etc. Most of these events/festivals will be on Friday, Saturday, & Sunday. The Queen must participate in 30 events; Jr. Miss must participate in 20 events. At least 10 of the queen's events & 7 of the Jr. Miss's events must have luncheon/parade combinations. Parents of the Queen and Jr. Queen should plan to travel frequently on weekends during the months of May through October. There will also be some events in the winter, especially around the holidays. All attendants, Prince, Young Miss & Little Miss & Mr. are required to attend 7 events. The royalty on the Little & Young/Prince courts may travel but it is required that they travel with a parent/guardian, however, Jr. & Miss attendants/Queens may travel with other LSF families on an occasional basis. Royalty must have at least half of the travel requirements met by Jan. 1, keeping in mind all of the close events will be over by this time.
9.	Mr. & Miss Shortcake are encouraged, but not required, to attend at least 3 of the following events: London Halloween Parade, London Old Fashioned Christmas, London Arts Festival, London First Fridays, Ox Roast, West Jefferson Christmas, West Jefferson 4^th of July, Mt Sterling Good Ole Days, Plain City Steam Show, Plain City 4^th of July or South Vienna Corn Festival. Special permission from the Queens' director must be obtained to attend any other events. Shortcakes not attending at least 3 events will not get to do a window or attend luncheon. Shortcakes riding on the float will be at the discretion of the Queens director.
10.	Babies may participate in the following parades only: London Strawberry Festival, Ox Roast, West Jefferson 4^th of July, Mt Sterling Good Ole Days, Plain City Steam Show, Plain City 4^th of July or South Vienna Corn Festival. Babies must provide their own transportation & be driven by adult at least 21 years of age. Due to safety concerns, they will not be permitted on the float. Babies must be held at all times when in a parade by someone other than driver, is at least 14 & is preferably related to the baby. Special permission from the Queens' director must be obtained to attend any other event. Babies will not be permitted to do window or attend luncheon. Babies may not wear a crown/tiara. Baby and chaperone must be dressed nicely when in parade (no tank tops, bare stomachs, cut offs or clothes with holes or tobacco, alcohol, drugs slogans). Do not put pins on a baby's sash for safety concerns.
11.	The queens' director has the right to refuse to let royalty participate in any parade, luncheon or event due to dress code violations/appearance or inappropriate behavior.
12.	Parents must be willing to assist with transportation and driving during parades. All drivers must be at least 21, provide a copy of a valid drivers' license & auto insurance to the Queen’s director. Drivers pulling the float are responsible for making sure decorations, fire extinguisher, first aid kit, festival & OFEA signs are with the float before leaving for event. Be sure that emergency items (insulin, sting kits, etc) needed by an individual, are with the driver. Some parades are very large & may take to long to locate parents in an emergency. Drivers need to arrange a meeting spot with other parents after the parade & should have the parents’ cell numbers. Non-court members & parents cannot be on the float or in the back of the truck pulling the float, unless cleared ahead of time with the Queens' director or the board.
13.	The queens' director has the right to ban any adult from driving royalty in parade or chaperoning royalty at any event due to safety concerns or inappropriate behavior of the adult around the royalty or at an event.
14.	Parents of anyone riding on the float in an event are responsible for making sure royalty members have their name signs, are appropriately dressed with title and for helping with any float set up or decorating required for the event. Do not "drop off & run."
15.	Travel expenses (meals, gas/mileage, rooms, souvenirs, etc) are the responsibility of your family.
16.	Parents are expected to serve as chaperones at events. There should be at least 1 adult chaperone at every event, regardless of the age of the court members. There must be a paid chaperone in a luncheon if there is a court member in attendance that is on the Jr. Miss or younger courts. Some festivals require at least 1 paid chaperone even for the Queen's court.
17.	Chaperones MUST PAY to attend luncheon, even if you do not eat, as most festivals have space limitations. You may wait outside & not pay as long as there is at least 1 chaperone inside the luncheon. Sometimes organizers will invite unpaid chaperones into the luncheon. In this situation, it is ok to go in.
18.	All festival/event registrations and contact with other festivals/events must be made through the Queen's director. Individual families are not permitted to submit registrations or contact other events directly. Registration and travel guidelines of hosting event must be followed.
19.	Event fees always need to be paid in advance. Checks or money orders made payable to the hosting event must be to the Queens' director by the set deadline. Avoid paying by cash. Registration fees are non-refundable after they have been mailed. If a reservation is not submitted with a payment, it may be rejected by the hosting event, therefore it will not be done. If the royalty member registered for the free meal is a no show, he/she will be billed for the cost of the meal. If the Queen is a no show at 2 events, she will be required to give a $20 deposit to the London Strawberry Festival before she will be permitted to register for future events.
20.	All invitations received to another event/festival belong to the London Strawberry Festival and must be given to the Queens' director immediately. Invitations are not to be kept for an individual.
21.	Events & deadlines are posted on the web site. It is your responsibility to check the site & meet the deadlines. The Queens’ director is not responsible for calling you or for reminding you of deadlines. The Queens' director will rarely notify you directly of up coming events. Occasionally e-mail, phone & printed lists may be used. Check the web site weekly for updates. www.londonstrawberryfestival.com Click Royalty schedules/deadlines.
22.	The Strawberry Festival does not pay registration fees. A few parades charge entry fees & therefore are not required. If court members wish to attend events requiring entry fees it is up to the parents to pay these fees.
23.	Awards (ribbons, cash, trophies or other items) from other events given to the festival will remain property of the London Strawberry Festival and must be given to the Queens' director immediately. Monetary awards will be applied to the Queens' program. If an individual award (spirit, costume, congeniality, etc) is presented, the royalty member may keep it but must notify the Queens' director.
24.	All royalty, except babies & shortcakes, will be required to purchase magnetic signs. These will be ordered by the Queens' director only.
25.	Royalty members will need to have at least 1 formal. Boys need a suit or dress clothes. Cooler events require the purchase of a white cape for girls/black cape for boys, black slacks, and sweater (red for Queens/kings, green or cream for attendants). You will be given the cost of the cape & all capes will be ordered/made by the same person. Money will be due by August 1. If you choose not to purchase a cape, you will not be permitted to attend cool weather events, typically September through April.
26.	Parents of Royalty members give their consent for their son or daughter's photos to be used in publicity of the London Strawberry Festival. Be aware many events are broadcast live on TV and/or radio.
27.	Parents must be willing to assist with Queen’s fundraisers. If orders & money are collected, orders with the full payment, must be given to the Queen’s director or received in the London Strawberry Festival PO Box 434 by the due date for order to be placed. Parents must assist in the Shortcake tent and information booth.
28..	All volunteers 18 & over will be required to submit their social security number to the City of London for a felony warrant & sexual offender background check. All parents & court members must abide by regulations imposed by laws/ordnances/government.
29.	Parents will refrain from the use of illegal drugs, and alcohol while escorting a royalty member. This includes all travel time to & from an event and the time at an event, regardless if royalty is wearing title or not. Tobacco products should be avoided when escorting royalty other than your own daughter/son.
30.	Adults must refrain from belittling/criticizing a court member, even jokingly.
31.	Any actions or statements (verbal, printed or posted, including internet) that are detrimental to the London Strawberry Festival made by family or anyone acting on the royalty member's behalf will not be tolerated and will result in loss of title.
32.	The use of profanity, inappropriate ethnic/racial jokes/slurs is prohibited when escorting royalty or representing the London Strawberry Festival in anyway.
33.	Permission must be obtained from the LSF board of directors before contacting anyone about donations or sponsorships.
34.	Do not make or have buttons made using any other festival or event name or logo.
35.	You must get permission from the board of directors before using the LSF name or logo on any items. A copyright &/or trademark is held on both.
36.	Problems/conflicts between royalty members, families and adults should be left at home and only discussed with the Queens' director if a private resolution cannot be reached. Gossip is to be avoided. Inappropriate comments, gestures, or profanity to any member of the board court or others while at event either as a court parent or chaperone will not be tolerated & will require appearance before the board. This may result in removal of son/daughter from the court or banning of the adult or royalty member at events.
37.	The judgment of the Queens' director is final in any and all conflicts involving the Queens' program. Rules/guidelines are not open for debate & apply to everyone.
38.	Failure to follow these guidelines by any family member or anyone acting on the royalty member's behalf, will result in the royalty member loosing her/his title.
39.	Royalty member must provide her/his social security number to the Queens’ director in order to receive your savings bond or scholarship. Girls/boys failing to provide their social security number by June 1 will forfeit his/her bond/scholarship. Savings bonds will be ordered 2 weeks following the festival & scholarships will be available at that time. This is to ensure that all duties are complete & all festival items are returned to the festival. Royalty member or parent/guardian must sign for receipt of scholarship/bond. Babies & shortcakes do not receive savings bonds/scholarships.
40.	The Queen’s parents will be given a parents pass-down book. Parents are responsible for making updates in it and turning it over to the new Queens parents at the end of their daughter’s reign.
41.	Each royalty member, except babies or shortcakes not attending luncheon, must contribute a minimum of 3 items for luncheon door prizes and an item for each gift bag. Items do not have to be expensive. Individually wrapped candy is fine. Plan for 250 gift bags. Shortcakes who have traveled & wish to attend luncheon must contribute door prizes.
42.	Parents & family members need to assist with our luncheon. Duties include guest check in, selling of charms and buttons, set up, preparation & serving of meal and clean up. This does not apply to baby parents.

Royalty parents will receive an official copy that must be signed and notarized at the royalty meeting.