The Roots N Blues N BBQ Festival is something the community of Columbia looks forward to every year, but without volunteers the festival would not be the great event it is today.

Tom Smith is a veteran attendee of the festival and the newest volunteer coordinator. He says volunteers who help out with the festival are invaluable and complete the atmosphere of the event.

“Volunteers are at the heart of the festival, and most are excited and enthused, which makes the guests happy and excited to be there,” Smith says. “It’s a really fun atmosphere and a fun place to work.”

Smith also says the benefits of volunteering at the festival make the experience worth it. People who work two four-hour shifts are given a three-day pass so they are able to enjoy all of the festival’s offerings.

If you are thinking about volunteering, there are many different volunteer positions you can hold.

“This year, we are scheduling 950 volunteer shifts, which translates to about 475 volunteers to get those shifts covered,” Smith says.

Volunteers help with all kinds of tasks.

“Some of the things you could be doing are bike corralling or even ‘border patrol’ as we like to call it,” Smith says. “(Border patrol) is basically hanging out around the edges of the festival zone and making sure no one tries to sneak in without tickets, or helping people who are confused and have tickets by sending them to the right gate.”

But bike corralling and border patrol don’t even begin to encompass the available volunteer opportunities.

“We have folks coming out at 6 a.m. to volunteer for the (Roots N Blues N BBQ) half marathon and 10K run, as well as greeters who answer guest questions,” Smith says. “We also have folks designated to greet guests with disabilities, and people in the command center manning phones in case of emergencies. There are a large number of things you can do.”

The first training session for volunteers was Thursday, Sept. 5, and Smith says it went well. Many in the crowd had worked previous years and are very excited about this year’s festival.

The festival takes place this year from Sept. 20-22 in Stephens Lake Park.

As some volunteers drop out right before the big weekend, it’s possible that you could still snag a spot at the fest this weekend. If you would like to get involved in volunteering for this (or next!) year’s festival, visit [rootsnbluesbbq.com](http://rootsnbluesnbbq.com/) and click on the “Volunteer” tab for more information.