Become a Volunteer
Would you like to help us on September 11 & 12, 2009? Over 300 volunteers are needed for the North Carolina’s largest celebration for the blues and you can sign up by filling out the online Volunteer Form.
There are various shifts from Friday and Saturday. There are many volunteer positions, each requiring different skills and levels of commitment. Below is the list of the volunteer jobs available and their brief descriptions. If you need more information on any of these jobs, please contact Polly at pwhitted@hayti.org. Volunteer Hotline (919) 683-1709 Ext. 33.
All Blues Festival Volunteers are given a T-shirt (while supplies last), volunteer badge, (2) vouchers for non-alcoholic beverage at the Festival’s soda concessions, and a parking pass (limited number available), and (1) Saturday ticket to the 2009 Bull Durham Blues Festival.*
Mandatory Training Session for volunteers is scheduled for Thursday evening, August 20, 2009 at 6:30 PM.
TEAM CAPTAINS
Experienced Blues Festival volunteers who would like to oversee the smooth running of a specific area. They are each given a designated area in which they are the main point person for concessions sales, kid zone, merchandise, hospitality, public or site if there are any problem areas, confirmation of volunteer assignments or questions.
KID’S ZONE AREA
Help with youth activities and games, keeping area orderly.
FESTIVAL GREETERS
Greeters welcome the public to the festival, pass out program guides, provide directions and answer questions. They will count how many people attend the festival with the help of a tally counter.
HOSPITALITY GREETER
Greeters in this area attend to sponsor, key volunteers, and artists as they take a break and enjoy a cool drink.
TICKET TAKERS
Scan tickets at entry point; provide re-entry wrist bands throughout event.
VOLUNTEER BOOTH HELPER
Help orchestrate the sign-in, sign-out, and assignment for volunteers, last minute trouble shooting of the 300 diverse volunteers that make the Blues Festival happen.
FRIDAY SET-UP ASSISTANTS
Help load-in tents and vendors for early set-up, and anything else that might be needed the day before the festival begins. (This is a long day and manual labor will be involved)
MERCHANDISE SALES
Sale Festival merchandise such as t-shirts, poster, cups, caps etc…
BEER/WINE CONCESSIONS SALES
Sell and pour beer/wine sales, check ID & distribute wristbands.
SODA CONCESSIONS SALES
Sell and pour soda fountain sales.
RUNNER/FLOATER
Help in area as needed. Run errands and relieve other volunteers
SECURITY
Assist in securing any and all Festival Areas under direct supervision of Festival Security Director.
SURVEYORS
Survey the audience before the show and during break periods.
BDBF 2 MAN CAPTAINS CHOICE GOLF TOURNAMENT-The Crossing Golf Club
Assist with registration, information, hospitality, awards ceremony, beverage carts, set up and break-down of event. (Note: This event starts at 9am on 9/11, and ends at 4pm.)
VOLUNTEER INFORMATION FORM
Community outreach
Blues In The Schools
The Blues In The Schools (BITS) program is a one-week residency in which noted blues professionals conduct lecture-demonstrations and performances for a variety of audiences, public education programs K-12, after school programs and private, charter and home school programs. The focus of the residency is to educate and enlighten our youth and community on the Blues and the Piedmont style, known to have been developed and performed in the Durham and cities across North Carolina.
The goals of the Blues in the School program are:
- Share the Blues with children. Change any preconceived ideas of what the Blues are about and spark an interest in the music.
Promote cultural awareness through self-awareness.
Broaden the historical prospective of how Blues relates to rock music and other modern music.
Focus on blues music as a part of American culture and acquire a better understand of the African–American heritage.
The strategic mission and goals of the Blues in the Schools programming intertwine with the mission of the Festival thus creating a wholesome program plan. As a promoter of the blues it is only proper and a fitting evolution of cultural programming that the Blues in the Schools programs be integrated into the yearly program mission of the Foundation.
Goals:
To enhance the local audience, particularly within the African American communities in the region, for the Blues which is often more popular overseas that in the United States.
To become a national showcase for the finest in contemporary and traditional blues artists from North Carolina and the rest of the United States.
To provide educational outreach programs for the community in particular the youth of the community to become knowledgeable of the rich heritage of Blues music.
The BITS program has been designed for middle and high school students. Students who are currently enrolled in music appreciation class will be engaged in the lecture demonstration portion of the residency. School assembly format are encouraged. It is estimated that over 3,500 youth will be engaged in the residency during the week activities.