"We Were Done"
If you were in Niagara from 2000 onwards you were likely very familiar with PoultryFest, a one-day free festival which celebrated all things poultry- from chicken chariot races to bounce castles galore to an evening country concert it was really fun for the whole family. Based in a small town in the western side of the region it drew visitors from all over, received a lot of media coverage and brought people together. And then in 2018 it was done. We were curious about how it ended? How does a huge successful festival with a ton of local support cease to exist?
The answer is a common one and likely more complicated than it seems at face value. The equation is the perfect one burnt out board + “no volunteer” = it ends. A bit of history to set the stage. The festival began as a millennium project expected to last a year, it lasted 18 and found major success through a sponsorship model. Sticking to the confines of a one-day festival and maintaining the free model to ensure maximum participation. Recruiting day of volunteers was never a problem, the alignment with the province of Ontario’s 40 hours of volunteer work for high school students certainly did not hurt. The core group of 8 board member organizing volunteers stayed intact with little changes for the full 18 years and they were the ones were eventually “done”. When asked how they managed recruitment to the board the response was something along the lines of the “the word was out there, people knew” serving as a good example of if there is not dedicated capacity and energy put into volunteer recruitment at all levels this type of ending is inevitable. This is not a criticism of the group of humans but a reflection on the number of organizations across the country who are wondering how they will continue but not spending time reflecting on how to rally humans in their spheres to continue the work. Maybe even more how to put one’s own identity aside and see how it could flourish into the future.
The decision to end was made before the final festival so resources could be allocated. Six months later the team fielded a parade float in the two local Santa Claus Parades to thank the communities and give everyone a sense of closure. The remaining money was donated to local charities.
What happened with that core group of board members? A lot appeared when the International Ploughing Match came to the area this year. Another event based locally, connected to agriculture. Many found other ways to fill their time, and other priorities took over the space that PoultryFest once resided in.
If this story resonated with you and you want to talk more, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.