Volunteer Shifts
Shifts
Each volunteer is asked to serve TWO 2-hour shifts over the course of the weekend for a total of 4 hours. Those who can serve two shifts will be given preference over those who can only serve 1 shift, but we will do our best to accommodate the number of shifts you can do. We will fill shifts on a first come, first serve basis. Shifts do not need to be the same task nor consecutive. You can serve different roles per shift. We are very grateful to all who can offer us volunteer time!Costumed versus Non-Costumed
Any and all roles may be worked either with or without a costume. We will give preference to costumed volunteers for the following customer-interactive roles: Ticket Taking/Greeting and Information Booth. We will give preference to non-costumed volunteers for the following non-customer-interactive roles: stage manager, setup, vendor/volunteer check-in and stage & sound system setup. You may request to work at any role; however, we will do our best to assign you per your request.We invite volunteers to wear garb or costumes for any volunteer role, especially when interacting with our patrons. Volunteers are also invited to create a character for themselves with which to engage our patrons. Please keep language and garb positive and family friendly.
Volunteers are NOT required to purchase or wear a costume, or to create a character for yourself if you do not wish to do so. We know that obtaining garb can be expensive. If you wish, you may consider asking for help or ideas in the volunteer Facebook group or in other renaissance festival groups about ways to obtain inexpensive garb.
Inside versus Outside
Outside – The following roles will be outside on Saturday/Sunday:- Ticket Taking & Greeting
- Vendor Check-In
- Stage & Sound System Setup
- Stage Manager
- Information Booth Attendant
- Squire’s Spots (Kids Zone)
- Contingent
- Floater/Safety Runner
- Set Up
- Tear Down
Roles & Responsibilities
Stage & Sound System Setup/Teardown
The role: This volunteer will set up either the Proper or Bawdy stages or one of the sound systems Friday evening, or will take down the stage and sound system Sunday evening.
The position: The Proper stage is at the front of the main hall in front of the garage doors, between the entrance and exit doors, facing the center of the venue. The Bawdy stage is at the back of the main hall to the left of the mead garden, facing the mead garden.
The responsibilities: The stage setup crew will build the stage so that the legs are hidden from view. The sound system will be set up and positioned to the side of the stage with the microphone stand onstage.
The sound system we will be using for both stages is Exoton S 1202 Bluetooth Powered PA Sound System Mixer/Amp. All the performers and edutainers will use our sound system, but will be bringing their own microphone with cables that will plug in to the sound system. You may wish to watch the video for setting up the sound system, mixer and speakers here: Sound System Video for Setup
Vendor/Volunteer Check-In
The role: This volunteer hands out packets to appropriate vendors and volunteers on Friday night, Saturday morning and Sunday morning.
The position: This volunteer will be positioned inside on Friday and at the ticketing booth at the corner of Midway Boulevard and Exhibitor’s Drive on Saturday and Sunday.
The responsibilities: This volunteer is responsible for making sure that the vendor and volunteer packets are given to the correct and authorized person as they arrive at the venue.
This volunteer will manage the queue for Vendor/Volunteer check-in.
The volunteer should ask each person in line if they are a vendor or a volunteer.
If a Vendor,
- Ask for the vendor’s name and booth number, and/or look it up online.
- Find the vendor’s packet in the file.
- Check off the vendor’s name on the list.
- Hand the packet to the vendor.
- Remind the vendor that they are responsible for handing out pins or wristbands to any volunteers or co-vendors in their booth.
- Remind the vendor that booth volunteers and co-vendors will each need to show a pin or wristband to get into the venue, so make sure they distribute the pins and wristbands before they get to the entrance on the day of the Faire
- If the vendor’s packet has already been handed out, advise the person to text or phone their co-vendor to bring them their pin or wristband.
If a Volunteer,
- Ask for the volunteer’s name.
- Find the volunteer’s packet in the file.
- Check off the volunteer’s name on the list.
- Hand the packet to the volunteer.
- Remind the volunteer that their pin and their plus one’s pin are in the packet.
- Remind volunteers that they and their plus one will need to show a pin to get into the venue, so make sure they distribute the pins before they get to the entrance.
- Remind them to go through their packet for volunteer appreciation benefits.
At the end of managed vendor/volunteer check-in for the day, the file of packets will be closed and left in the care of the ticketing booth and ticket takers. Ticket takers at the booth will need to check and handout packets to latecomer volunteers.
Stage Manager
The role: This volunteer will be managing one of our two stages to make sure performers and edutainers know when they are performing, to adjust the sound system mixer, regulate sound volume if needed, and to help performers set microphones up.
The position: One volunteer will be stationed at the Proper stage at the front of the main hall and one volunteer will be stationed at the Bawdy stage at the back of the main hall.
The responsibilities: This volunteer will monitor the stage’s schedule and make sure that scheduled performers are ready to go on stage, perform at the time they are scheduled and then warn the performer when their set time is coming to an end. The volunteer should also be able to show performers/edutainers where to plug in their microphone.
The sound system we will be using for both stages is Exoton S 1202 Bluetooth Powered PA Sound System Mixer/Amp. All the performers and edutainers will use our sound system, but will be bringing their own microphone with cables that will plug in to the sound system. You can watch this video ahead of time to understand more about the sound system here: Sound System Video.
On arrival at their station, the volunteer will access the schedule and performer phone list in case he/she needs to contact performers. He or she should also have a phone or watch to track time.
We expect performers to show up for their set about 5-10 minutes before their scheduled performance time. The stage manager role might be seen as similar to someone attempting to corral cats. Most of our performers will show up without prompting and are more than likely than not to know what they need to do for themselves.
Note: The performer may bring an assistant to help them set up the mixer and assist with settings. The volunteer will show the performer and assistant where the mixer controls are located if asked.
At the scheduled time, the volunteer will invite the performer to plug in their mic and do a quick sound check.
The volunteer and/or performer’s assistant will listen to the sound from the sound check to make sure the volume of the system is appropriate for the performer when standing approximately 15-20 feet from the stage. The volunteer or performer’s assistant may need to adjust the sound level again while the performance is underway to make sure sound is appropriate for the performance type and audience present.
Wrapping up the performance:
- The volunteer should display the 5-minute warning sign at 5 minutes before the end of their performance.
- The volunteer should display the 2-minute warning sign at 2 minutes before the end of their performance.
Ticket Taking & Greeting
The role: This volunteer will be checking pre-purchased tickets, handling the sale of onsite tickets, and giving our patrons a wristband to wear for entry.
The position: This volunteer will be positioned at the ticketing booth at the corner of Midway Boulevard and Exhibitor’s Drive Saturday and Sunday. Tickets will be sold from 9:30 AM to 6 PM on Saturday and from 9:30 AM to 5 PM on Sunday.
The responsibilities: This volunteer is responsible for making sure that each person entering the venue has purchased a ticket and is wearing a pin or wristband to enter the venue.
There will be two queues for ticket taking/greeting at the ticketing booth. The ticket taker should ask each person in line if they bought their ticket online.
If prepurchased online,
- Scan the QR codes for the ticket(s) purchased with the ticketing tablet.
- Give the customer 1 wristband for each ticket purchased.
- Help customer(s) put on their wristbands before entering the venue.
- All customers should have a wristband to enter.
- Remind the customer that they will need to have their wristband on for exit and re-entry.
If no ticket purchased,
- Guide the customer to purchase ticket(s) through the QR codes and the ticketing tablet.
- After purchase completed, give the customer 1 wristband for each ticket purchased.
- Help customer(s) put on their wristbands before entering the venue.
- All customers should have a wristband to enter.
- Remind the customer that they will need to have their wristband on for exit and re-entry.
*Ticket taking tablets will be passed from scheduled volunteer to scheduled volunteer and then returned directly to Lee Correll at the end of managed ticketing each day.
Information Booth
The role: This volunteer will staff the information booth inside the main hall and help customers find booths, performance areas, the mead garden, bathrooms, and any other locations within the venue. He or she will answer questions as asked and be helpful to guests as they wander the Faire.
The position: The volunteer will be stationed at the information booth immediately at the front of the main hall in front of the entrance.
The responsibilities: The volunteer will be familiar with the amenities and activities occurring within the Faire and will be able to answer questions and route customers to different areas of the venue. This volunteer will also manage the Lost & Found.
The volunteer will maintain custody of a walkie talkie to contact ticketing, first aid, parking, or one of the Faire leadership team as needed.
The volunteer will maintain custody of the Lost & Found and will facilitate lost items being returned to their owners. The Info Booth attendant will record contact information (name, phone number) for lost items in the Book of Lost & Found. The Lost & Found container will be kept behind the Information Booth during Faire hours and then locked up at the end of each day for safekeeping.
Photographer
The role: This volunteer will take photos of the event throughout the event. Our goal with this position is to capture fun and interesting photos of patrons, vendors, performers, edutainers and activities at the Faire for marketing and memories.
The position: The volunteer will travel around the venue to find and take interesting photos.
The responsibilities: The volunteer will use his or her camera to take quality pictures around the Faire. Volunteer should load pictures onto the google drive here at his or her convenience.
Social Media
The role: This volunteer will promote the Faire through Oakenmist social media accounts.
The position: The volunteer will traverse the venue to find and post interesting quotes and images to social media.
The responsibilities: The volunteer will promote and gain interest for the Faire by posting to social media.
Our presence on social media should be positive, upbeat and open to all.
Social media volunteers should post images, quotes and ideas that reflect a family friendly environment where people might want to bring their friends and families. We ask that any and all volunteers posting to the Oakenmist social media accounts also respect the following:
- Images used to post to social media accounts should always be naturally collected and not AI-generated. We have committed to supporting small businesses, artists and their products and services and want to be sure to reflect that approach in all that we do.
- Posts to Oakenmist social media should not mention the Maryland Renaissance Festival (MDRF). We have mad respect and love for the MDRF and do not wish to compete, compare, influence or detract from their organization. We respectfully ask that in any and all public material, we are always seen as respectful and supportive of their organization. Thanks!
Our official social media accounts are as follows:
- https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100092109945902
- https://www.instagram.com/oakenmistrenfaire/
- TikTok: oakenmistrenfaire
- https://bsky.app/profile/oakenmist.bsky.social
Our official hashtags are as follows:
- #oakenmist2025
- #oakenmistrenaissancefaire
Pirate Adventures Support
The role: This volunteer will provide support to the Howard County Pirate Adventures activity for children on Saturday.
The position: The volunteer will staff the Pirate Outpost at the entrance to the main hall.
The responsibilities: The volunteer will assist Chris to hand out maps, check completed quest pages and hand out treasure as requested.
Parking Attendants
The role: This volunteer will manage parking flow for customers as they enter the fairgrounds. They will also direct handicapped customers on how to get to the handicapped parking lot.
The position: The volunteer will help guide vehicles at the main parking lot at the entrance to the fairgrounds.
The responsibilities: We expect to have 2 volunteers manage the flow of parking to the main parking lot near the fairground entrance. One volunteer should direct customers to the next parking space; the other volunteer will be available just outside the parking lot but inside the fairgrounds to answer questions and permit handicapped vehicles to be diverted to the handicapped lot.
Parking volunteers will wear a reflective vest for safety at all times while working their position.
Handicapped patrons may request access to drop off passengers in front of the main hall and then park in the gravel lot directly across from the main hall. Vehicles requesting handicapped access will need to have one of the parking volunteers open access for them.
Contracted Positions
Oakenmist contracts with licensed, skilled consultants to perform various duties at the Faire. Among these positions are workers staffing First Aid and Security roles.
Other Skills
We also maintain lists of certified CPR and language-proficient volunteers to provide support in the case of emergencies, however we do not expect to request activation of these volunteer skills except in extreme or unusual scenarios.