Volunteers key to success of Clark County festivals

From what I heard so far, volunteers need to know they are appreciated. They need acknowledgement of their contribution to an event, and they need expressions of appreciation for their efforts.

If a volunteer feels unimportant or useless, he or she will find something else to do, and Lord knows there are so many choices for our free time. But if a volunteer is an acknowledged part of the team effort, well, the sky is the limit.

We saw that last weekend at the highly successful Fair at New Boston and we can see it again at two of the big upcoming festivals in western Clark County.

That’s right, I’m talking about the Heritage of Flight Festival and Parade in New Carlisle from Sept. 30 to Oct. 2, and the Enon Apple Butter Festival on Oct. 8 and 9.

Anyone who has ever gone to the Heritage of Flight Festival knows it’s an action packed three days. There are any number of volunteer opportunities. Go to http://www.heritageofflight.com/ and you can get contact information for the committee heads of the various events within this event.

Or you can email from the website and volunteer. Volunteers of all ages are needed. You can help with walking the airplanes on the streets, the parade, the cruise-in, the pageant, entertainment and logistics.

The Apple Butter Festival is managed through the Enon Community Historical Society. To volunteer call 937-864-7080. You will probably have to leave a message. Or you can email enoncommunity@yahoo.com.

What would you like to do at the Apple Butter Festival? Help paint apples on the street? Wash the jars? Set up the event in the Enon Elementary parking lot? Man a water station on the 5K run? Help can the apple butter? Or the best job of all, stirring the apple butter.

Regardless which event or activity you select, you will be working with neighbors and making new friends. You will be a part of making these fun events continue to happen for a long time.

To quote one of Dayton’s favorite writers, Erma Bombeck, “Volunteers are the only human beings on the face of the earth who reflect this nation’s compassion, unselfish caring, patience and just plain loving one another.”