Midlothian Heritage Day bans political and church vendors

MIDLOTHIAN – Midlothian’s Heritage Day took place this past weekend, and while the turnout was great and there were plenty of booths set up for vendor participation, one booth that was missing, and one the Republican Party of Ellis County was hoping would be there – was their own booth.

“The Republican Party of Ellis County proudly joined the Midlothian Chamber of Commerce with a goal of increasing our involvement in the community wherever possible,” J.J. Brookshire, Republican Party of Ellis County Chair, Precinct 1034 and Chair – Communications/Marketing Subcommittee said.

“We believe that it is critical that voters be well informed regarding the plans and policies of those running for office.

“This is especially true for candidates for local elections. What better way to do this than to meet face to face with candidates at events such as Midlothian’s Heritage Day?”

Brookshire added, “In addition, the Ellis County GOP lined up multiple volunteer deputy registrars to register voters, answer questions and update addresses when needed.

“We lined up candidates and elected officials to be on hand throughout the day along with deputy registrars in order to help attendees be better informed and better prepared for the upcoming general election in November.”

However, after receiving an invoice from the Chamber of Commerce on Aug. 25 for a 10x10 booth at Midlothian’s Heritage Day, Brookshire said it was disappointing to learn on Sept. 6, “The president of the Midlothian Downtown Business Association had canceled our reservation without notice to us.

“We were informed by this same individual that neither political nor religious organizations were permitted to purchase a booth for the Midlothian Heritage Day.”

After a discussion with Midlothian Downtown Business Association President Jenny Sanders about the hiccup and a promise of a written statement as to what happened, she simply sent a statement that read, “Our second annual Midlothian Heritage Day couldn’t have been more successful.

“We had participation from so many of our community nonprofit and youth and school organizations, which is exactly what we had hoped for.”

Brookshire added, “It appears this [not getting a booth] was a unilateral decision by the Midlothian Downtown Business Association and not the Midlothian Chamber of Commerce. We look forward to continuing our membership in the Chamber and being involved in future events in support of this outstanding community that we call home.”

Melissa Shook, Midlothian Chamber of Commerce president & CEO, said the invoice did go out to the Republican Party of Ellis County, but it had been generated when the organization applied for the booth. There was no word, however, as to why it took Brookshire calling for more details about the booth for him to find out it had been canceled.

“The Midlothian Chamber of Commerce was a proud participant in the Heritage Day event occurring last weekend,” Shook said. “The case in question was flagged because it did not meet the event criteria. The participant was never charged.”

Shook said the Chamber staff communicated the event was not available for political participants. However, the Chamber Wine and Arts Festival would be happy to have them as a vendor, and they could also participate in other types of Chamber events.

“It was also communicated that the candidates and their supporters would be welcome to attend Heritage Day wearing their shirts etc. and mingle with the crowd without official booth space,” Shook said.

Overall, the Heritage Day event was the business of the Midlothian Downtown Association and the Midlothian Chamber of Commerce, but some were asking the question as to why the city donated $54,000 to the day’s festivities when political and religious voices were not allowed.

To answer that question Alyn Nix, president of the Midlothian Community Development Corporation [the group that donated the $54,000 – not the city] said, “The Midlothian Community Development Corporation focuses on helping projects that positively impact the quality of life for our residents.

“We do this through grant funding. We do not get involved in running any group’s project or event. Last year’s first Heritage Day was a tremendous success, so our board decided to recommend approval of the $54,000 grant request again this year, which was subsequently approved by the City Council.”

So perhaps if residents are interested in hearing more from the county’s Republican and Democratic parties [note the Democratic Party did not sign up for a booth at Heritage Day], or from one of the over 60 churches in the city, they can do so while sipping wine or admiring the local art at one of the city’s upcoming community events.

Even so, Nix concluded, “It was great to see the event grow even bigger this year with the help of the Chamber of Commerce, which brought in booths to help promote small businesses in our town and the nighttime activities.”