Published Saturday, June 20, 2009 2:13 AM
About 550 volunteers help Texas Reds festival get started right
By MICHELLE CASADY
michelle.casady@theeagle.com
David Smith and Steve Windham prepare the main stage at the Texas Reds festival in downtown Bryan on Friday. Between 25,000 and 30,000 people are expected to come out for the third annual event.
Texas Reds events
Main stage (free)
7 to 8:30 p.m. -- Earl Thomas Conley
9 to 10:30 p.m. -- Robert Earl Keen
Palace Theater (free)
Noon to 1 p.m. -- Leannasaurus Rex (Texas blues)
1:30 to 2:30 p.m. -- Grupo Laredo (Tejano)
3 to 4 p.m. -- Kathy Ross (country)
4:30 to 6 p.m. -- Texas Twisters (rock)
Chef demonstrations (free)
11:30 a.m. -- Messina Hof, chef Eric Vandigriff
1 p.m. -- Veritas Wine and Bistro, chef Tai Lee
2:30 p.m. -- Eccell Steakhouse, chefs Costa and Andrea Dallis
4 p.m. -- Madden's, chef Peter Madden
Grape stomp ($5 per person)
Teams of two can sign up to be put on the scheduled bracket and participate in the stomp. The event will take place in front of the Carnegie Library.
11 to 11:45 a.m. -- Celebrity grape stomp
Noon -- Public stomp
6:30 p.m. -- Grand champion stomp
7 p.m. -- Awards on main stage
One thing is clear when it comes to preparing downtown Bryan for the Texas Reds Steak and Grape Festival: Volunteers are essential.
"Absolutely. This festival wouldn't happen without volunteers," said Julie Irvin, volunteer coordinator for the festival and a city of Bryan employee. "It's crucial to have those volunteers. We couldn't afford to put it together as a city otherwise."
This year, about 550 volunteers came out to lend a hand. Last year, Irvin said, there were around 300 volunteers.
"That number is about what we were looking for," she said. "In fact, we had to turn a few people away today."
About 18,000 people attended last year's event. Irvin said between 25,000 and 30,000 steak and wine lovers are expected this year.
About 150 volunteers will be wine servers, 100 will help with traffic control and about 100 will be helping out at ticket booths.
A smaller number, about 30 or 40, volunteered to help clean up.
"They'll be cleaning up all day Saturday during the festival and on into Sunday [morning]," Irvin said.
City officials enticed some of the volunteers with a $1,000 scholarship. The money will go to any organization or person who volunteers 100 hours of time to help with the festival.
One organization hoping for the scholarship is the Black Graduate Students Association of Texas A&M University.
Tya Arthur, the group's vice president of marketing and a third-year doctoral student in health education, said she heard about the volunteer opportunity in late May.
"I was worried, because it's summer and a lot of the students are gone, that we wouldn't have enough volunteers," she said. "But we we're able to get 10 to come help out."
The group has about 400 members, and the volunteers said the scholarship money would come in handy for the organization.
"Hopefully, this is something we can continue to do year after year," Arthur said. "The money will help us keep our social and academic programs going."
The student association plans to use some of the money to bring in academic speakers to give lectures during for its "lunch and learn" program.
The group of 10 was assigned to help prepare the Palace Theater stage for Saturday's acts.
Irvin said coordinating the volunteers was stressful but enjoyable, and she'd like to take on the task for next year's festival.
"I just want to thank all the volunteers who helped out," she said. "The volunteerism makes it more of a community festival. It allows us to take ownership of it."
Comments
[comment]
13 comment(s) found!
Posted by:
Rocky Patel Brazos County. On:
Monday, June 22, 2009 10:44 PM
Comment Title:
Sad day for a Bryan and BISD product.
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Posted by:
Willie On:
Monday, June 22, 2009 8:41 PM
Comment Title: Do What
Some of you comments have nothing to do with the story. Stick to the story or go comment elsewhere. NBA - Normal Bryan Attitude. NBA - Not Been Awake. NBA - New Big Apples. WOW - this is easy...I think I can do this all day long
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Posted by:
Rocky Patel-Brazos County On:
Monday, June 22, 2009 7:09 PM
Comment Title:
Easy to spot a Bryan product full of hate and anger for the life they have.
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Posted by:
On:
Monday, June 22, 2009 4:39 PM
Comment Title:
Those words of support were brought to you by the significant other (tranny) of the illiterate hillbilly.
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Posted by:
Susan CSTX On:
Monday, June 22, 2009 1:04 PM
Comment Title:
I can spot the Bryan product of welfare it so easy.
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Posted by:
Sounds like they are products of BISD AND Bryan. On:
Sunday, June 21, 2009 10:08 AM
Comment Title:
Sounds like this Bryan/BISD comment was supposed to be derogatory, and from an illiterate hillbilly to boot. Only in your mind sonny, only in your feeble mind.
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Posted by:
On:
Saturday, June 20, 2009 11:09 PM
Comment Title:
Which motel does your family own Rocky PATEL? Texas Oaks, or maybe Holiday Plaza?
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Posted by:
Rocky Patel-Brazos County On:
Saturday, June 20, 2009 6:56 PM
Comment Title:
Sounds like they are products of BISD AND Bryan.
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Posted by:
On:
Saturday, June 20, 2009 11:42 AM
Comment Title:
Are your kids that unruly?
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Posted by:
Packing Heat On:
Saturday, June 20, 2009 11:21 AM
Comment Title:
I hope all 550 have CHL'S. I Plan to take kids.
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Posted by:
On:
Saturday, June 20, 2009 7:18 AM
Comment Title:
Please stay away if your priority is to get drunk or you cannot control your self.
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Posted by:
On:
Saturday, June 20, 2009 6:59 AM
Comment Title: How lovely...
Why don't don't we get drunk and eat?
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Posted by:
E On:
Saturday, June 20, 2009 2:54 AM
Comment Title:
Nothing here about parking/bus shuttle? A park & Ride shuttle service is being offered from Blinn, every 15 minutes 9AM Sat to the end of the festival. I had to go to KBTX.com to learn this. I wonder if the Eagle will put up a later post, after they watch the KBTX newscast. Journalism in da house!
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