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Date: 6/21/2021
SOUTH HADLEY – The Friends of Buttery Brook Park are looking for volunteers to help out with season events and bring fresh ideas to the park.
Secretary of the Friends of Buttery Brook Park Linda Young said the group is looking for volunteers for several events, the first being a concert scheduled on Aug. 7. “The first one is the concert scheduled for Aug. 7. We haven’t settled on a time yet, but it’s going to be 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. I believe,” she said. “It’s with Midlife Crisis, but that won’t make a difference. We’re looking for volunteers to help with that.”
The next big event during the summer that requires volunteers is a Big Rig Day they’re hoping to plan in conjunction with the Parks and Recreation Department. While she couldn’t offer many details as the event was still being planned, she said they were hoping to plan for a weekday in August to host the event. The final event she said they would need volunteers for it would be in December, their annual Santa Land event.
“We have Santa Land, which is Thursday to Sunday two weeks prior to Christmas. Those are the three main things we’re looking for volunteers for immediately,” she said.
President of the Friends of Buttery Brook Park Larry Dubois said those interested in volunteering for such events should email him at larryshcod@gmail.com or email Young at precinte@gmail.com. Dubois added those interested in volunteering for events don’t need to be a member of the Friends of Buttery Brook Park. “They’re not necessarily a constant member, if they want to they can but we look more for people to get on a list and they can decide,” she said.
Dubois and Young said another problem facing the group was a decline in membership and losing one of their most significant fundraisers, Cruise Nights. “Cruise Nights kind of fell apart just before COVID. We’re feeling the effects of being older, we have hopes that someone else will want to do it with partnerships,” he said.
Dubois said the organization had “evolved over the past couple of years,” and “the people at the top have kind of moved off.” He described the group as being in a “reorganization stage.”
“We’re hoping to rejuvenate it, come up with new events that people want to bring to the table. The park has evolved over the years,” he said. Dubois said that while there used to be poker nights on the stage at the park, it’s now evolved into family friendly concert events.
“It’s an ongoing thing, it’s been generational as it moved along. We’re trying to get some people in the new generation to come in and start forming Friends of the Buttery Brook Park,” he said.
He said the way many of the current and former members, including himself, had become involved with the group was by volunteering for events. “A lot of members are people that have volunteered and liked it, and have become active in the groups. A good number are kind of consistent,” he said. “I first started with Santa’s Land, it sucked me in that way.”
He said over the years in addition to Cruise Nights, another significant fundraiser the group had lost was a bottle and can pickup. He said they were hoping to reinvent some events and fundraisers. Currently, he said the concerts they provided were free, but if they were unable to bring in the donations needed they may have to charge for them in the future. “We’re looking to keep concerts free if possible and get donations off side things, but there’s a possibility we may have to change that in the future,” he said.
He said a goal of the Friends this year was “to look at what other activities we can bring to the concerts,” which are new this year. “If you’re interested in the park and like what the park means to South Hadley, become a friend. Bring ideas with you too,” he said.
However, he emphasized that there was no need to become a member of the group to volunteer for events or participate in activities. Additionally, both Young and Dubois said they’re always seeking volunteers who have skillsets that may be of value to the group. “Any bands that are decent that want to be a lead in and don’t want to charge and get exposure, we’re always looking for things like that. A lot of simple jobs that can be done that don’t require a lot of effort,” he said. “Any talent that you have could be of use, we’ll take it. We’ll find a use for it.”
Young added that they were seeking someone to volunteer to do some graphic design work for posters and their website, among other skills. “Anyone who wants to volunteer of all ages, we need some carpentry done if anyone has some basic carpentry skills. If anyone wants to play music, we could use them for future concerts,” she said.