David, Terri and I arrived in Raleigh on Thursday evening and Maria joined us on Friday. Since arriving, we have been totally emersed into the Farm Aid family. Hopefully this update will help you understand how passionate the “family” is about the event and the mission of Farm Aid. This is the 29th year of the concert and the first time it has been held in North Carolina. Our little team represents the babies of the family…first year volunteers are far outnumbered by folks who have been supporting this event by traveling the country to volunteer for many years.
Our first assignment was to attended a required volunteer meeting. The meeting was held at our hotel and conducted by Volunteer Coordinator, Toni Tiemann. At the meeting, we received our instructions, our volunteer t-shirts and our credentials. All volunteers are given full access to the concert and are free to enjoy the event while not on duty.
After the Volunteer meeting ended, we rushed over to the Hoedown @ Raleigh City Farm. Raleigh City Farm is just that…a farm in the city. A non-profit organization that uses a small piece of land to make growing, harvesting, buying and eating available in the heart of the city. A simple stage structure in the center of the farm makes it a perfect place for neighborhood music festivals. I can see this happening in our Community Garden in Black Mountain.
On Friday morning, we attended the Farm Aid Breakfast Connect where Terri volunteered to help set-up. This event provided a chance for farmers and volunteers to meet one another and receive updates on farm policy issues important to all attendees. After the breakfast ended, Terri served as a Farm Tour Volunteer while David and I helped with set-up for Farm Aid Eve at the Nehi Bottleing Plant.
This was a very exciting beginning to a day packed with great adventures and hard work. I have lots of stories and photos to share with you, but…now it’s time to continue our journey at the big event. Farm Aid 2014, here we come! Stay tuned!