Harriet Island - August 13-15
Free Admission!
Irish Fair Volunteer Awards
2009 IRISH FAIR VOLUNTEER AWARDS
Turf Cutter: Dennis Stanton with a year long effort to increase Raffle Sales.
Weekend Warrior: Tim Buggy with his super job in his first year as Food Ops Coordinator – a position that previously had been paid staff.
Rookie of the Year: Angelique Ortiz
Angelique enthusiastically volunteered for the full weekend of the Fair, as so many of our wonderful volunteers do. This year she took it a step further and trained to be a future ticket booth manager. Learning from the best, Angelique helped to continue the tradition of integrity and accuracy in this busy area!
Special Recognition - Eric Dierks
This was Eric's first year as a volunteer at the Irish Fair. He arrived on Friday afternoon to help with the final preparations before the clouds parted and the Fair opened to a few precious rays of sun. Each day of the Fair, from open to close, Eric helped out in nearly every area-from hanging banners, to ticket sales, to picking up plywood-jumping in where needed to lend a hand.
John Rogers for his many, many years of service in the Pub Tent Beverage Service.
Jim Cady for his increased responsibility in the F&B Ticket sales and by reducing the cash shortage.
Sarah Peterson, the jack of all trades: Idol Contest, F&B Ticket Booth Mgr and more.
2008 IRISH FAIR VOLUNTEER AWARDS
The Fair‟s Curtin-Conway Award recognizes those who have made significant contributions and have presented an inspirational example to others in the Minnesota Irish Community. This year‟s winner is Anna Mae Hogan. While many of the past recipients have been the people out front for their various efforts or the public face of an organization, Anna Mae is recognized more for her tireless work behind the scenes. The organizing, the phone calls, the envelope stuffing, the volunteer coordinating – all voluminous, glamourless work that underpins every event and every organization and determines its success. Anna Mae, as part of the Ladies Order of Hibernians has played that role in the Minnesota Irish community for many years and in many ways, including in the early years of the Fair. Irish community leader and Hibernian Ultan Duggan had this to say: “Anna May Hogan was there at the start. She was the quite person in the background that did all the execution and follow through of the early Fairs…a tough taskmaster who kept her worries to herself and kept everyone on time.”
In addition to the foundational work as regards the Fair, Anna Mae and the Hibernians were very involved in awarding countless scholarships to students for both high school and college tuition. Anna Mae has also helped out by raising money for seminarians and for many other charities, some here in Minnesota and some in Ireland.
Anna Mae has designated her award be given to Gaeltacht Minnesota (http://www.gaelminn.org/), an organization that furthers the study and use of the Irish language. Will Kenny of Gaeltacht Minnesota says “… we congratulate her on this welldeserved honor. We also thank her for designating our organization to receive a very generous financial donation from the Irish Fair. We really are blessed in our friends. Thank you, Anna Mae, and thanks to the Irish Fair for this wonderful boost to our resources.”
2007 IRISH FAIR VOLUNTEER AWARDS
bySteve Cerkvenik, Executive Director Irish Fair of Minnesota
Weekend Warrior – Pat RichardsonNot even major surgery the week before the Fair could stop Pat Richardson from continuing her long history of service to the festival. Pat’s volunteer contributions to the Fair go back to the first year at Harriet Island if not all they way back to the days at St. Thomas. However, it is not for the years of service that we recognize her this year, but for the steady commitment to her Food & Beverage Ticket Sales booth throughout the weekend of the Fair. Pat is probably our most experience ticket seller and ID checker. As the festival grew, her role in the ticket booths grew. This year, because we added another sales booth and refined the ticket selling process, it was more important than ever to have an experienced volunteer who was willing to commit the entire weekend to managing a booth. Pat was just that volunteer. Not only did she arrive early on Friday, Saturday and Sunday to get her booth ready and stay until close, she was also there on Thursday helping with general festival setup and she participated in several training sessions prior to the festival. For her long standing commitment to the Fair, her ever-present smile and her over 40 hours of service just at this year’s Fair, Pat Richardson is the Irish Fair’s Weekend Warrior for 2007. Turf Cutter Award– Siobhan Dugan
Cutting turf is a repetitive but most important task. No turf, no heat. Simple as that. So the Irish Fair Turfcutter Award honors a volunteer for a ongoing, significant contribution. This Year’s winner is Siobhán Dugan, who has edited The Freebird since its inception in 2005 and who has also made the Native Dogs of Ireland Area of the Fair the engaging and educational attraction is today. On top of that, this year Siobhan spearheaded the move to infuse more Irish language into the festival, with volunteers getting training in a few key phrases, as well as having Irish- language musicians at the Summer school, the hurling announced bilingually, Irish endearments for dogs --or kids--taught in the Native Dogs area, and elements of Irish language at the Poteen Still, Holy Well and social dance stage. Gaeltacht Minnesota, an Irish language community group, supported the effort by moving to the front of the Fair and offering name tags and phrases in the Irish language as people entered. Says Siobhán : “I really connect with the mission of the Fair to celebrate genuine Irish culture with the broader community --and volunteering for the Fair gives me an outlet for creative juices as work-a-day life doesn’t. It was particularly exciting for me this year to see the warm reception the Irish language got in the various areas of the Fair from the organizers who mostly had limited experience with the language before themselves. And a volunteer came up to me and Will Kenny (of Gaeltacht Minnesota) and thanked us so warmly for the Irish she’d learned, that she enjoyed and appreciated it. How can ya not be chuffed when that happens? Next year we’ll build on what we started this year---like we always do at the Fair!”
2006 VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
The Turf Cutter award for outstanding contribution went to Kathi Jones. Irish Fair Board member Mike Casey has this to say: “Kathi is a creative force of nature for the Irish Fair. She has been an active, year-round member of our cultural committee for years. She is the coordinator of our crafters as well as the creator and manager of the tearoom. Last year she and her husband, Doug, came up with the idea of the country still, and this year she was the driving force behind the creation of holy well and the high cross. Kathi has also been responsible for us bringing in Mary Clancy, head of the Paddy Clancy foundation, for the last three years.”
Jake Olson received the Weekend Warrior Award for marathon contribution during the Fair itself. Jake has been the ultimate gopher at Irish Fair for several years. He is always available for whatever we need him any time during the fair, all day each day.
Sara Armstrong took on the daunting task of organizing the army of Volunteers who make the Fair possible every year with gusto and charm. Everyone working behind the scenes and the public as well benefited from her excellent work. Sara won the Rookie of the Year award.
This year’s Volunteer of the Year has quietly gone about her business as an area coordinator since 2002 - and prior to that helping wherever the Fair needed her.
2006 VOLUNTEER OF THE YEAR AWARD WINNERS
Joan is a great volunteer who serenely manages her committee and organizes her area, efficiently getting the job done. If you see a woman staffing an Irish Fair table at a community event, chances are you’ve met Joan. In fact, Joan was on the door helping out at the Thank You Volunteers Celebration at the Summit brewery this September, where the award was given!
At the end of the year she promptly puts together a report about the good and the bad in her area, with a few suggestions on how she will improve things the next year –“ if you’ll have me back”, as she usually asks the Board!
This year, the Children’s Area under the calm, yet effective, leadership of Joan Erpenbach blossomed. From the start of each day until after the activities ended, the Children’s Area was full of youngsters making crafts, learning to dance the jig, singing along with the performers, learning about the 9 breeds of Irish dogs or quietly and intently listening to the puppeteer. The energy level in the Children’s Area was amazing and it was noticed by lots of people.
We thank you, Joan, for your many years of outstanding service to the Irish Fair.
