Center for Southern Folklore’s Memphis Music & Heritage Festival needs volunteers

Last night, someone with whom I worked in the past on Mpact Memphis projects approached me, and asked if I could help recruit volunteers for one of the best outdoor festivals of the year. The Center for Southern Folklore’s Memphis Music & Heritage Festival will be held Saturday-Sunday, September 1-2 and, only 2 weeks away, they are badly in need of volunteers. This festival is a lot of fun, you’ll get to hear some great local music, and you’ll be working with some wonderful people, including Judy who runs the Center and Memphis poet IQ who serves as the MC for the event. Festival will be Downtown on the Main Street Mall between Gayoso and Peabody Place. Details below. Please consider signing up as a volunteer.

———————

Founded in 1972, the Center for Southern Folklore is a private, nonprofit organization whose mission is to preserve, defend, protect and promote the music, culture, arts, and rhythms of the South. The Center also offers music events and educational programs, maintains its multimedia archives, Folklore Store, and website.

For over two decades, the Center has produced its signature event, the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival. This free event presents the best of our region to visitors and locals, celebrating the changing face of Memphis and the Mid-South:

* Artists whose music has defined our region to the world
* Traditional and contemporary folk artists and craftspeople
* Southern & ethnic cooks
* Dancers, storytellers and representatives of their cultural communities

The Memphis Music & Heritage Festival is held Labor Day Weekend in downtown Memphis.

We request volunteer assistance from your organization in producing these events. We need to fill, in all, about 350 four-hour volunteer shifts. We are grateful for any volunteers that your organization can provide. Volunteers will perform a variety of tasks including the following:

* Assist with musicians, artists, craftspeople, & talkers
* Providing festivalgoers with information
* Festival t-shirt and merchandise sales
* Set-up, maintenance and tear-down of site
* Security and trolley guard
* Beer & beverage sales
* Serve and prepare Southern dinners
* Hospitality

A strong volunteer base is the key to making the Memphis Music & Heritage Festival a success. This success is measured in a tangible way by the smooth operations during the event and the financial gains realized in merchandise, food & beverage sales and donations. The intangible is in the feelings elicited from the spectators and the participants, who are excited about sharing their talents, stories, and culture.