New Fall Festival president stresses civic involvement
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| Pam Batcho |
What she found however, she said, was one of the most cooperative and generous group of volunteers she could have imagined. Batcho said the board which organizes the festival comprises a representative from each non-profit group participating. “Everyone has a voice in the management of the event,” she said. “Everyone is always willing to help.” Other committee officers this year include Andrea Gerber who serves as vice president, Kathy Turnquist of the Civitans who is the secretary and Matt Studnicki, who acts as treasurer.
There are visitors to the festival who are unaware that every for-profit vendor at the event is required to have a non-profit sponsor, Batcho said. Every booth along the downtown streets is helping a civic or service group or a school group or club somehow. “This really is an all-community event,” she said. “Every one of these vendors is helping a non-profit group in the community.”
The effort to ensure that every for-profit vendor was sponsored by a community non-profit became effective in 2019, she explained. An example, she said, when COVID precautions cancelled the traditional Friday night Taste Fest usually sponsored as a fundraiser for the Civitans club, they were able to team up with a sno-cone vendor at the festival. Batcho has been involved with the festival for more than five years as a member of the Optimists Club which presents the popular pet show every year. She said both she and Gerber, another longtime volunteer at the event, were willing to take on the leadership role, but Gerber was unable to take it on this year and Batcho had other commitments for 2023. They agreed to split the leadership role with Batcho agreeing to act as president of the committee of volunteers this year. They plan to switch positions next year, Batcho said, when she becomes the state governor of the Optimists Club. She also leads membership development for the Canton Chamber of Commerce.
“We are always looking for non-profit groups to participate in the festival,” she said. “We can pair them with food vendors or activities.” She said information about involvement was available on the Fall Festival website.
