Where To Volunteer, Part 3

Where's a coincidence for you. When volunteer registration opens on Tuesday, the opening of the 2008 Kansas City Irish Fest will be exactly 150 days away. That is going to go by so fast it'll make your head or other parts of your body spin. So you need to get signed up and get ready. To aid in that effort, we present part three of of our Where To Volunteer series. Tonight's installment:

The Children's Area

Here are some of the many things that I don't understand about life: why does anybody watch reality television? Who first thought that eating liver was a good idea? Nascar? Seriously? And why do we always struggle to fill all the volunteer needs we have in the Irish Fest Children's Area? Every year, we go down to the wire getting that roster stocked. Let's do the old pros and cons, shall we?

Pros: You get to work with the incredible Shawn Sullivan Warner, the talented, lovely, Energizer Bunny of the Irish Fest family. You spend the weekend with kids, who are the happiest people having the best time at the Fest. You're in a big shaded tent, while other bake in the sun. You're often seated, while others stand. You do no heavy lifting, no miles of walking. you're playing games.

Cons: Um...you might get a sore face from smiling too much?

Now, don't get me wrong. This is a demanding job. Irish Fest kids have a lot of energy and you'll need it too. But this is truly the smiling, goofy heart of the festival and you'll have a great time being part of it. Your duties might include helping kids with games or activities, assisting with our spooky early Halloween costume contest or leading a parade. You might be leading stories, singing songs, applying tattoos (the temporary kind), inflating balloons. You will be laughing, smiling and helping run one of those most critical areas of the festival.

So if you're undecided as registration begins, consider the Irish Fest Children's Area. You'll get the usual perks - the t-shirt, the ticket, the refreshments, the fun. And you'll spend the weekend surrounded by smiling, giggling short people. What's not to love?

Sign up Tuesday April 1st.