Jack and I screamed and yelled and sang. It was a wet Friday evening, and standing together in our matching neon orange shirts, we chanted over and over…
“Keep the festival free! Every donation counts!”
The Richmond Folk Festival is an amazing event celebrating American culture. Altogether, the festival attracted over 125,000 people to flood to the banks of the James river to enjoy lively music, delicious food, refreshing drinks, and great times. The production of the event costs over 1.5 million dollars; therefore, Jack and I’s task of asking for donations was crucial to the continuation of the Folk Festival.
The Richmond Folk Festival attracted over 125,000 people.
Asking for donations was a little frustrating initially. Wandering around the muddy lawn of Brown’s island, people were sparse and our bucket was empty. However, at the start of the loud rhythmic music, swarms of people crossed the bridge over to our island to dance. This was our shot. We found a perfect spot: right at the entrance of the bridge. It was impossible to miss us in our dazzling bright orange shirts. Shaking the bucket and dancing vivaciously, the donations started flowing. Everyone in attendance was enjoying themselves and bonding as fellow Richmond natives. People of all ages and backgrounds joyfully added money, loving the opportunity to support their community that put on such a great event. And supporting the community is crucial.
Having a great sense of community allows for people to be more aware of their surroundings and place in the ecosystem. We tend to care about issues more when we’re intertwined in a close community. It leads to awareness, appraisal, and action. Perhaps a stronger sense of community is the solution to many of the environmental problems we face today.
As the sense of community created by the event grew so did my tiredness. It was a long night of volunteering, and by the end, I was completely exhausted. Soon, the crowds began to clear out and the musicians packed up to leave for the night. Though the night was fading, my florescent orange tee shirt will never fade.
Our shirts were even more neon than shown in this picture.