Published in The BANAR, September 2016 by François Trépanier
After participating in the Blackburn Funfair for several years, my observation is that the success of the Blackburn Funfair depends on two factors: the weather and volunteer efforts.
While we can agree that we have no control over the weather, the Funfair has benefited from awesome weather in recent years and we can all be grateful for it.
However, the second factor that assures the success of the Funfair—volunteer hours—is one that we can all impact, individually and collectively.
An excess of 700 volunteer hours goes into the Funfair preparations alone. The 2017 Funfair work will commence this September through planning meetings with the city, equipment reservations and permit requests. In January, the Funfair Committee, over 20 members, will begin their monthly planning meetings which will increase in frequency as the Funfair gets closer.
Over the Funfair weekend, an additional 500 hours of volunteer hours will be required, to ensure the smooth running of all the activities, while ensuring the safety and security of all. As well, local students will provide over 200 well appreciated volunteer hours which count towards their mandatory school volunteer hours.
Overall, the 1,400 plus hours required to ensure the success of the Funfair is not meant to scare anyone away! Quite opposite, I hope to motivate new volunteers to join the Funfair Committee. There are many ways to get involved and be part of the Funfair success even with a limited amount of time. Whether you want to put certain skills to use or simply be a (well needed) extra “pair of hands” during the Funfair week-end, I urge you to contact the Funfair Chai and get involved in the next Funfair at funfairchair@gmail.com.