Memories Of Boonstock 2013 Volunteering I just came back from volunteering at the 2013 Boonstock Music and Arts Festival in Sturgeon County, near Gibbons, AB. I have in the past attended as a V.I.P. Pass holder which was amazing both times. Easy access to all areas, showers, and food. Great people out to have a good time listening to live music by favorite bands. This time was different in so many ways! I had never thought of volunteering before this. A few of my friends signed up and asked if I would be interested in seeing if I could get shifts with them. Seemed like a good idea, as I couldn’t afford a general admission pass let alone a V.I.P. pass this year. So I put my name in the hat. First; the people who contacted me and set up my schedule were kind and punctual, excited that I wanted to be involved. Second; The process of signing up was very simple and straightforward, involving an application form and a quick interview over the phone. I showed up on Wednesday for the orientation and to get my campsite set up in the volunteer camping area. I came a bit late as I had a six hour drive to get to the location and though it was only about five and a half hours. Nobody bit my head off or anything. Just got brought up to speed and sent to get the briefing I needed to start working the next day. Once the hour long meet and greet/ briefing was over I headed off to the volunteer campsite. Surprise, surprise! Turns out volunteers are camped even closer to everything going on than the V.I.P. sections! I could sit on top of my van and watch the main stage from my campsite! That alone was amazing! Once all my gear was set up I helped my new neighbors get their tents set up then sat down for a beer and some socialization. All in all, a relaxed and easy night, except for the rainstorm that knocked almost everyone’s tents down. Not a problem, nobody got hurt or even wet too bad! Thursday I helped out in parking. My job was to help park whatever portion of the approximately 65 000 people who showed up for the event during my shift! I spent the majority of that day and well into the night smiling and welcoming people, directing them to their parking, explaining how to set up their site, and telling them to have a great weekend!!! It was a hot sunny day, I got a little bit of sunburn, which has happened to me a handful of times in my life so you can trust me, any of the volunteers that were out that day smiling and helping really were working. Seeing the scale of the operation and getting firsthand experience on how to maneuver such a large group safely and in accord with the rule laid out by the Fire Marshal would have been breathtaking on its own. But keep in mind, as soon as someone was parked there was in most cases the beginning of the festivities, the glorious cracking of the first beer! So the situation was made more complicated by the occasional party-goer stumbling in front of moving vehicles and such. Impressive at how smooth everything else went considering the specifics of this scenario! Friday I did a bit of parking again, but that was mostly sorted out and there wasn’t much to do except double check to see that everyone was parked within the allotted stalls. This required a calm and confident approach to gently remind Boonstockers that they can either move at our gentle insistence or they can wait until the firefighters came by and told them to move it or its getting towed. Usually, the patrons chose the easiest path! After a few hours of that I went to one of the beer tents and worked as a banker in a section where we sold Boonstock poker chips for purchasing drinks from the bar. I learned about how the Banker/ Runner/ Manager/ Cashier relationship works together. This was the ninth year that Boonstock had been running, so you can imagine that this process was streamlined and most of the wrinkles ironed out. Still, from a guy who has zero experience in this field I learned a lot. Saturday was a bit crazy as I came in early for my shift and stayed late. I worked a few more spots I hadn’t had the opportunity to try out yet. Volunteer Care, our main tent and home base was where volunteers came to sign in and out, collect their t-shirts and bracelets, and basically was the brain of the operation from the volunteer point of view. Everything for us came and went through there. I worked the I.D. Booth for a little bit, self explanatory, I checked picture identifications and if they were of age I stuck a wrist band on them. At first this was more difficult than I imagined, quickly attaching a bracelet so that it is straight, doesn’t grab hair and isn’t too tight is not too easy until about 50 people in, when you start getting the hang of it and learn a few tricks. For example, if a guy with a very hairy arm sticks his hand at you the best thing to do is turn his arm until his wrist is pointing upwards. This allows the least hairy part of the wrist to be exposed to the ultra sticky glue on the bracelet in case of oopsies. Don’t believe me? Seriously, walk up to the next hairy guy you run into and check! But maybe ask first… Later on I ended up working as a banker in one of the beer tents nearest the main stage. Very busy, nonstop action. All of the bands playing that night that I wanted to see were about 100 meters away, clearly visible, and so loud that some folks were putting in earplugs for the majority of their shift! Sweet Child Of Mine performed by Slash ft Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators was mind altering on this night. So I was working hard, but I was tapping my feet, bobbing my head and smiling the whole time. Sunday I spent a double shift in the same tent, very close to the stage. Most memorable song of the night was Santeria by Sublime with Rome. For the record, from this point on, I will be referring to these guys as Sublime. I don’t care if Rome is the new guy, he is doing his job well and by Jebus WHO CARES WHO HE IS AS LONG AS SUBLIME KEEPS DOING LIVE GIGS!!! Ok, there’s my rant for the day! Last night of partying means one Heck of a wild time! Knife party was the last show and the energy wave being put off by the thousands of fans present was nearly palpable. Thick and heady, it gave off hypnotizing fumes that woke up anyone who entered its huge area of influence and turned on their fun switch immediately! When my shift was over I wandered around looking for friends I had just made and was hoping to hang out with for the rest of the night. Found most of them, but still we ended up wandering around until the wee hours of the morning, socializing and introducing each other to people we knew, all of us avowing that we would keep in touch and return in 2014 for the tenth year of Boonstock. The lineup this year was crazy, Dropkick Murphys, Sublime, Godsmack, Slash, Knife Party, Krewella, Benni Benassi, Headstones, Hollywood Undead, Dirty South, Eric Prydz, Sebastien Bach, and many more (40 bands and 40 DJs)!!! I met and befriended new people that formed an instant bond as we already had things in common, the urge to help make things better, kindness, and care through volunteering. Sweet, wonderful amazing people! If any of you are reading this post, I’m sending you a massive hug right now and I CANNOT wait till next time I get to hang with you!!! Seeing the supportive and loving people that make the events I love happen with their blood, sweat and tears. Oh, and lack of sleep. Some of these guys were getting around 6 hours of sleep throughout the entire weekend!!! They busted their butts, some for several years now, to make your weekend as fun and easy for you as possible! I am in awe and severely humbled by the magnitude of the task these people take on and smile while doing! Big pat on the back going out to anyone who I took for granted before I knew what the big picture looked like. You hardcore volunteers are the heart that keeps the beat of these events, without you there is chaos and pandemonium. Well done! All in all, the greatest thing that occurred to me this weekend was having this door opened up for me. I don’t think volunteering is for everyone, but I do know that you won’t know until you try. I for one will be volunteering again and again as this was a poignantly memorable experience that changed the way I look at the world of Music Festivals! I hope this gave you a bit of insight into the wild world of volunteering for anyone who may be thinking of it, but not sure where to get information. If you want to see more on Boonstock, their home page is ( Boonstock.ca ). Of course, if you have any questions for me, let me know and I will do my best to get you an answer!
Posted on: Thu, 04 Jul 2013 22:52:11 +0000
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