Volunteers are still needed for MusicFest XXXV and today is the last day to sign up and be eligible for a volunteer festival T-shirt with a guaranteed fit, Main Street El Dorado board members said.
MusicFest, presented by MSE and believed to be the largest live-music event in South Arkansas, is set for Oct. 6 and 7 in downtown El Dorado.
Beth Brumley, executive director of MSE, said volunteer slots are still available for the admission/entry gate and beer tent on both nights of the festival.
Volunteers may work in two-, four- or six-hour shifts.
Volunteers who commit to four hours will receive a T-shirt and those who sign up for at least six hours will receive a T-shirt and other perks, including their choice of wristband for admission/concert or unlimited access to attractions.
"If they don't register by (today), they will still get a T-shirt but we can't guarantee that it will fit," Brumley said during an MSE board meeting earlier this week.
Volunteers must be at least 21 to work in the beer tent.
Brumley said MusicFest committee members have undergone CPR training and for the first time, the group participated in training to administer Naloxone, which is used to reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
"So, we will have Narcan kits scattered throughout MusicFest," she said.
In other business, Brumley reported that the Back-to-School Bash with a Splash, MSE's final Summer on the Square event for 2023, was a "huge success."
The event was held Aug. 26 and featured youth performers and vendors.
"There were tons of kids, tons of fun and tons of heat," Brumley said with a laugh.
She previously reported that some MSE officials, board members and volunteers were overwhelmed by the extreme heat of the day.
Some reports placed outdoor temperatures in El Dorado as high as 108 degrees on Aug. 26.
The weather conditions prompted MSE to make some changes for Summer on the Square 2024.
Brumley said the group has already agreed to reduce the hours of the events and shut down activities at 2 p.m., rather than 5 p.m.
She said MSE will discuss how to present Showdown at Sunset next year.
The historic re-enactment depicts a deadly gunfight that took place on the streets of the city's downtown square in 1902.
The gunfight was a flashpoint in a feud between the Tucker and Parnell families and left three men dead.
Brumley said the Showdown cast has talked about ways to revise the show and may present a different version of the re-enactment in the summer of 2024.
Brumley and Holly McDonald, MSE executive assistant, said more than 50 RVers have signed up for the sixth annual Airstreams on the Square, which is scheduled for Oct. 19 - 22 in downtown El Dorado.
Presented by MSE and the Arkansas Razorback Airstream Club, Airstreams on the Square is part of a campaign to stage Main Street/urban camping events across the country in order to promote the RV lifestyle and help stimulate economic development and vitality in small-town America.
El Dorado is the first and only Arkansas city to host such an event.
Since 2018, Airstreams has drawn campers from several states, including Arkansas, Louisiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Georgia, Florida and Ohio.
The 2023 event has a "Who Dunnit?" theme.
"What's the most we've ever had?" asked Bruce Butterfield, chairman of MSE's advisory committee, referring to the number of participants for Airstreams.
Sixty-one RVs registered for the 2022 event and 36, the most ever, participated, McDonald said.
"There may be fewer than 36 (this year). Typically, the closer we get, some start dropping out," she said.
Brumley said 47 campers have signed up for electrical hook-ups and seven have registered for generator camping -- the only camping spaces that are left.
Following Airstreams, MSE will prepare for Scare on the Square, which is set from noon until 4 p.m. on Oct. 28 and will include free hot dogs, games, vendors, the Mutt Strutt contest and Kids Costume contest.
Holiday activities include:
Nov. 16, 5:30 p.m., Downtown Holiday Lighting Ceremony. The time is subject to change due to Daylight Saving Time, Nov. 5.
Nov. 18, 1 - 4 p.m., Downtown Holiday Open House,
Nov. 25, Shop Small Saturday.
Dec. 9, 11 a.m. - 2 p.m. (tentatively), Santa on the Square.
For more information about MSE events or to sign up to volunteer for MusicFest, visit www.mainstreeteldorado.org or call the MSE office at 870-862-4747.