Volunteer to Help Kids Learn Fishing, Shooting Sports at U.P. State Fair August 13-19
OutdoorHub 07.17.12
The annual Upper Peninsula State Fair – one of Michigan’s summer highlights – is right around the corner, and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources is seeking more than 100 volunteers Aug. 13-19 to help to make it happen.
Among the fair’s abundance of exhibits and events is the DNR’s U.P. Pocket Park, a place where thousands of kids will learn to fish or shoot a bow or pellet gun in a safe, fun environment. Forty energetic, outdoors-minded volunteers are needed each day to bait hooks, teach kids how to catch and release a fish, shoot a bow or pellet gun, greet visitors and generally help provide a positive experience.
The rewards are many. Besides the chance to help create memories for the next generation of hunters and anglers, volunteers will receive a free Pocket Park T-shirt, lunch during the shift worked, and a free pass to the fair to be used on the same day before or after the shift. There are two time slots each day: 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., and 4 to 8 p.m., starting on Aug. 13 at 4 p.m. Volunteers are welcome to sign up for as many shifts as they would like.
“Last year, we had volunteers ranging in age from 18 to 89, and in some cases, included four or five immediate family members pitching in to help,” said the DNR’s coordinator for the event, Janet Canode. “There’s a lot of work to be done, but it’s fun work, and you’re outdoors, passing on a love of Michigan’s natural resources.”
The U.P.State Fair takes place in downtown Escanaba. For more information about the fair, visit www.upstatefair.org.
To find out more about this volunteer opportunity, contact Janet Canode at canodej@michigan.gov or 517-241-5210 or Joe Russell at 906-789-0714.
