We dare you to take a guess!!
The Alliston Potato Festival is a volunteer organization made up of passionate, dedicated volunteers, who are your neighbours, friends, and possibly some of your family. The APF has a mandate to put on a 3-day community family event in the PPG park that will bring together family and friends. We are celebrating the agricultural roots of our community and the multiple community organizations that make our community one of the best places to live in Ontario.
The Alliston Potato Festival Crew consists of volunteers led by Dennis Burt, President, Colin Oake, Vice President, Karen Lopez, Treasurer, Tony Jones, Stage Manager, Sunday Night Concert Series Chair, Jaime Karsch- Director, Dayne Polny- Director, Sarah Batchilder, – Director, Just Sing Chair, and along with our committee at large Blair Mercer, Chris Hull, Linda Gasper, Melissa Lachaine (Baby Show Chair), Stephanie MacLellan with all their help we are able to pull l together one of the largest festivals in New Tecumseth for the past 49 years.
Volunteers at large, Matthew Potter, Nikki Mann, Quinn Thurston, Ayaz Khan, Sherrilynn Chisholm, Gord Chung, Brianna pau Preto, Melissa pau Preto, Dwayne Todd, Grace Good, James Good, Lisa Rousell, Tara Giles, Jennifer Fortin, Dianna Kreju, George Lopez, Christine Martin, Tena Hutchings, Tjaden Rivers Burt, Barry Chapstick, Laura Thuro, Heather Wink, Donna Jebb, Nicole Cox, Susan Iacoucci, Angela Makaroff, Rick Milne, Wendy Gabrek.
Are you keeping up with the counting? Well, we are only just getting started
The following local organizations have also come out with all their volunteers to run certain events over the weekend.
Alliston Lions (Beer Gardens), Knight of Columbus Food truck (serving potato dishes) (over 30 volunteers.)
Parishes of Alliston -Eight parishes of Alliston joined together to organize a Pancake Breakfast followed by an Interdenominational church Celebration. (Over 25 volunteers)
Knights of Columbus (44 volunteers) to bring you some delicious potato dishes.
Renegade Derby Girls – Welcoming festival goers on Saturday and Sunday while collecting gate entry. (Over 15 volunteers)
Tottenham Lions – made their way north to help on Friday night gates so our local clubs could go and join the parade. (Dozen volunteers)
The Rotary Club organized the mammoth parade Friday night and then came out and helped put on FREE activities in the APF Kid Zone (close to 30 volunteers)
The Alliston Chamber with marketing support, gate help, and product for the Kid Zone, (5 volunteers)
The Alliston BIA for providing entertainment before the parade.
Landmark Bus lines along with staff to man had a bus in the APF Kid Zone letting the kids paint on it. We are not sure who ended up with more paint on themselves, kids, parents, or the bus itself. (3 volunteers)
The Alliston Humane Society,(6 to 8 volunteers) The New Tecumseth Library,(2 volunteers) Kiwanis Club of South Simcoe, (6 volunteers) the Alliston Rotary, (6 volunteers), and Mathew House Hospice (5 volunteers) all provide volunteers and free activities for the kids on Saturday of the APF.
Warrior Martial Arts School,(30) MacMurchy Highland School of Dance, (10 volunteers) and Dance the Line group (25 volunteers) came and provided entertainment for APF Festival goers.
The Boyne Museum (2 volunteers) sent help for the Indigenous celebration along with Roots and Raven who put on the sweet grass workshop.
Have you any guess how many volunteers it takes to put on the Alliston Potato Festival? Let’s just say it takes A LOT OF PASSIONATE VOLUNTEERS TO BRING THE COMMUNITY THE ALLISOTN POTATO FESTIVAL EACH YEAR.
If you would like to join this amazing group of close 200 volunteers, fill out an application that can be found on allistonpotatofest.com.
