The Interior Savings Fat Cat Children’s Festival is in the final stages of planning for its 27th annual edition coming up Friday June 9 and Saturday June 10 at Waterfront Park, and organizers are calling for volunteers to step forward to help deliver the creative festival for kids.
“The Festival relies on over 150 volunteers to come help with a variety of jobs, from helping kids at activity stations like the Crafty Cats and Face Painting, to greeting festival goers at the Gates and Information Booths, to the ‘behind the scenes’ jobs such as the Operations and Traffic Control,” says artistic director Dorothee Birker.
With flooding concerns around the region, the festival has had to re-design parts of the event site, however the festival is full speed ahead, according to Birker.
“We want to let the community know that the high-water levels of Okanagan Lake have meant some redesign of the event site, but the festival is absolutely ready to roll and provide a safe and exciting experience for kids of all ages. Sometimes the best ideas come out of situations just like this and we are really excited about the changes to the site,” she said. “It’s great to see the festival come together after a year of planning.
A key volunteer this year is Kristin Lehman, who after completing her studies in an event management programme, came out to the Festival for practical experience three years ago, and has since taken on additional tasks to help with the planning of the Festival as well as the final execution of it. This year Kristin is the festival’s volunteer director, looking after recruiting and scheduling all of the helpers.
Anyone interested in helping at the festival this year can check out available positions at Volinspire.com or simply connect with Kristin at klehman@live.ca or 250-460-2227.
“We truly appreciate the fantastic support of these generous community members, giving up their time and sharing their skills, but we also know we have a fun and co-operative environment where our festival crew really has a great time working together, said Birker. “We have many incredible volunteers that have been volunteering with us for several years, and are so appreciative of their ongoing commitment.”
The festival this year celebrates the people and events of the region with its theme ‘Okanagan Stories” and features two full days of entertainment, learning and creativity, plus a fabulous parade. One of the highlights will be a giant Community Drum Circle where festival goers are invited to Bang Their Drum and be a part of creating a community beat. The Festival runs Friday, June 9 from 8:30 – 2:00 pm and Saturday 10:00 – 4:00 pm, starting with the Parade on Cawston Avenue.
To find out more about the Festival, or to get involved as a volunteer or to be part of an activity station or the parade, check out www.fatcatfestival.ca.