As the Lowell Folk Festival quickly approaches I am in the throws of corraling an army of volunteers for the festival’s Bucket Brigade. For nearly a decade the final two weeks leading up to festival weekend have been filled with phone calls, visits, social media posts, and more recently InsideLowell articles encouraging folks in our community to give a few hours of their time to help ensure that the Lowell Folk Festival, in all its greatness, remains free for years to come. After all, the Lowell Folk Festival is free to attend, but it is not free to put on. It costs over $1 million and the Bucket Brigade provides a significant source of funding.
Thankfully, the volunteer schedule always fills up at the last minute (maybe people can feel my stress?). As my Facebook memories confirm year after year, despite my concerns about participation, Lowellians rally together when it counts the most, ensuring that our Bucket Bridage is strong and enthusiastic throughout the duration of the festival.
During the three days of the Lowell Folk Festival, everything falls into place. The Bucket Brigade volunteers return from their shifts, handing in their buckets with red, smiling faces and a sense of wonder at the generosity of the festivalgoers. Many share stories with the volunteers about how attending the festival is an annual tradition, the long distances they travel to be there, and their admiration for the Mill City (a sentiment I wholeheartedly share).
With just days until the festival kicks off (July 26-28) we still need Bucket Brigade volunteers. It really is a fun and easy job (my kids LOVE it) and I’d love for you to consider signing up for a shift. This is a wonderful philanthropic activity for individuals, families, teams, and coworkers and a great way to dip your toes into the world of volunteerism. Here are some useful details:
- 3-4 hour shift
- Walk around an assigned area of the festival collecting donations
- Individuals and teams needed
- Those 18 and under need supervision
- Free parking for the weekend!
- Please fill out this form: https://bit.ly/BucketBrigade2024)
I’d be remiss if I didn’t publically thank our Bucket Brigade volunteers – past, present and future! It’s a testament to the dedication and willingness of Lowellians to contribute their time and effort, reinforcing the idea that when a call to action is made, our community steps up to meet it.
