April/May Update
Big newsletter alert! Turns out that when you launch the volunteer application for the 40th year of Musikfest, prep Levitt Pavilion materials, and try to train your new teammate time can really slip away from you.
Parker and I have been hard at work kicking off our ambitious and busy summer season. While we continue working on the training, the scheduling, the posting—this is a great moment to remind you that so many opportunities are available on the portal right now. Levitt Pavilion always welcomes new volunteers throughout the season, we need folks willing to pour beer in Grange Park for Upper Mac Community Day on June 24th, and if you haven’t yet gotten your Musikfest 2023 application in now is the time to do so.
You can always see what is still open here: https://app.betterimpact.com/Volunteer/Schedule/Opportunities
You’ll notice quite a few spotlights in this letter, and it isn’t only because it took forever to get this one out. We have three new members on our Volunteer Committee, a student who represents how much fun someone who can have fun when they buy into our mission, and volunteers who exemplify how bright we can shine within this program. Our 2023 Ambassador program wrapped up and we now have eight new Ambassadors to welcome to our shifts each month. During Volunteer Appreciation Week, we welcomed seven new volunteers to the 1,000 hour club and honored them with plates on the second floor of the ArtsQuest Center. These volunteers prove that this program isn’t just about seeing a free show or getting your hours for school—it’s about the community we want to build in Bethlehem and beyond. Our mission creates great events throughout the year, but it is each of you who make them successes and worth enjoying in the first place.
I know that many of you have been waiting patiently for your Musikfest 2023 schedule. Parker and I are diligently plugging away at applications each day, but we are certainly slowed down by the fact that we are currently a team of two. I promise you will have your schedule soon! We’re so excited to celebrate Musikfest’s 40th year with you and I can assure that no one will be left behind.
The 2023 application if available here: https://fest.formstack.com/forms/musikfest_2023_volunteer_application
If you haven’t volunteered at the Levitt Pavilion before, there has never been a better year to give it a try. This year’s lineup is full of cool, original, and interesting musical acts from all over the world. If you love being able to discover new sounds you never expected during Musikfest, Levitt gives you that opportunity every single weekend this summer. These shifts are available in the portal now and please let us know if you have any questions!
With Musikfest’s Steel Stage lineup finalized and the Levitt lawn finally full of chairs again, it finally feels like summer. It feels like so much gets thrown our way with this programming calendar, but it is such a luxury to live and work in a place where there is a heightened focus on the arts and entertainment as a form of community. It’s my job to look ahead to Musikfest, Sangriafest, Oktoberfest, and beyond, but because of that I can lose the forest for the trees. We’re getting closer to those moments where Musikfest tents go up in the blink of an eye or a crowd of thousands cheers on a band at the Levitt Pavilion. Just like the 5K I struggled through this past month, sometimes you just have go slow and appreciate it all while it’s happening. We’re the caretakers of something rare and special, and I hope you take pride in the work we do as we watch smiles light up and mugs get raised throughout these warm months.
Thank you for everything that you do,
Cory Stevens
Volunteer Program Manager
