Fall Fest volunteers needed
 | Author:
Nancy Marks
Nancy Marks: MT43 News Secretary and News Editor |
Volunteers are the backbone of a successful Townsend Fall Fest approaching September 30. A core group of individuals comes year after year to cook brats, sell beer, clean up garbage, park cars and generally keep things on an even keel. Both Chairman Jeff Langlinai and Vendor Chairperson Laura Obert praised the leaders who work 16-hour days during the festival and also attend meetings to coordinate the year-long planning. “I think the hardest part of being part of the core group is because it is a job for life,” Jeff said.
There is very little turnover in the core group. Some of the core group will retire this year. Jerry Rodacker will be handing over organizing the car show. Adam Six takes over more than his share of the necessary jobs. Pat Plantenberg never goes to the festival: he is always parking cars.
The major job is clean up on Sunday night. The core group begins at 5 pm, then starts again on Monday morning to clear Heritage Park. According to Parking guru Plantenberg, 40 and 60 volunteers would cover the work easily. Volunteers do two-hour shifts to sell brats, haul garbage, park cars and set up and take down signs. The work begins at 6:00 a.m. Friday and continues until 10:00 p.m. Sunday or early Monday morning.
Beer booth volunteers are easy to find. In 2021 they sold 78 kegs and 5,000 cans of beer. “We sold more beer than was sold at the Last Chance Stampede last year,” Pat said.
Volunteers from the Townsend Fire Department have worked to help park handicapped individuals, give out programs and answer questions. City of Townsend workers pitch in to help close the streets and secure power at the park.
“So many folks either don’t sign up until the last minute or just show up and ask what we need done. We appreciate that they do show up. But in that case, it is nerve-racking to not know whether someone will show up to sell brats, or if not, we in the core group must fill in. It’s a difficult job,” he explained.
The future of Fall Fest is in good hands, Jeff reflected. He is not concerned about whether the event will happen, but whether it can be streamlined so all the work is not on the shoulders of a few people. “We need people from the community to step up, to sign up and to show up to do the work. It’s fun and worthwhile if we can work as a team,” he said.
Both Jeff and Laura strongly encourage volunteers to sign up as soon as possible to help. The signup website is https://www.townsendfallfest.com. Scroll down to sign up or call (406) 530-5251 for more information.
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