Shrimp Festival looking for volunteers

GULF SHORES, Ala. (WALA) - It’s only two months until the 41st Annual National Shrimp Festival presented by Zatarain’s takes place in Gulf Shores, and organizers are on the lookout for people that would like to volunteer during the Festival. Sponsored by the Alabama Gulf Coast Area Chamber of Commerce, the Festival will take place Oct. 11 – 14 where Ala. Highway 59 meets the beach.

Ron Kutter is in his sixth and final year as chairman of the Festival. He said the primary reason for the success of the Festival is the volunteers.

Click here for more information about volunteering.

“We have 100 or so volunteer staff members who spend four days at the Festival from before it opens to after closing,” he said. “These staff volunteers along with 600 to 700 more volunteers - who work in every area from the Children’s Activity Village to our retail and concessions booths - are the real reason the Festival is always as successful as it is."

According to Kutter, most volunteers spend just a few hours of their weekend working in the Chamber’s booths.

“The rest of the weekend they’re like everyone else enjoying the food, music and art of the Festival,” he said.

Volunteers staff information booths, sell official festival souvenirs in the Chamber’s retail booths and everything in-between. These volunteers can be spotted by the Committee T-shirts they receive for volunteering at the Festival.

“These are special t-shirts,” Kutter said. “Anyone can buy an official Shrimp Festival t-shirt, but these shirts are only given to volunteers.”

“The volunteers are the engine that makes this a true community event,” Chamber Special Events Director Ann Motes said. “They take pride and ownership of the Festival. For most of them, this is their home, and they take great pride in showing our coastal hospitality to visitors.”

The Festival is the only fundraiser of the year for the Chamber.

“Our Chamber’s success is directly tied to the success of the Festival and the revenue it brings to the Chamber,” Festival Concessions Co-Chairman Steve Jones said.

The Chamber makes money through the sale of Festival booths, sponsor fees, Festival souvenir retail booths and concessions.

Kutter said while a great number of Festival volunteers come from member businesses, volunteers from outside the Chamber are welcome as well. Motes said there is no typical Festival volunteer.

“Some are area residents. Some are condo owners that come down for the weekend and volunteer. Some are retired,” she said. “Still others are from out of town, and stay in a condo or motel for the weekend. Last year we even had a group of four or five committee members from the Alabama Chicken & Egg Festival in Moulton come down and worked at least one shift in each of our volunteer areas.”

Vicki Morese is the event coordinator for the Chicken and Egg Festival and was one of the volunteers who worked the Shrimp Fest.

“The Alabama Chicken and Egg Festival is a young festival. Since its inception in 2005, we have strived to bring new and creative ideas to better our festival,” she said. “Our team of ‘Super Chicks’ traveled to the Shrimp Festival to volunteer as a team, learn from the Shrimp Fest volunteers and do a training event for our Super Chicks. We had a blast and we hope to return to volunteer again.”

Volunteers normally sign up for one four-hour shift during one day of the Festival.

“But if they want to volunteer for more than one shift, we can usually accommodate them,” Jones said.

Jones said his concessions booths alone utilize almost 500 volunteers.

“I can’t say enough about these volunteers who stick their hands and arms into ice-cold troughs to pull out drinks for Festival patrons,” Jones said. “Every one of them I’ve had has jumped in with no complaints and did whatever they were asked to do. They make our booths run smoothly - and they do it all for a t shirt.”

“We love our volunteers,” Motes said. “Anyone who wants to help us can contact us through our website and we’ll find something for them to do. It’s a few hours of hard work. But it’s the most fun you’ll have working hard. I guarantee it.”