Chilliwack Music and Dance Festival organizers looking for new home for 300 trophies

A room to house about 300 trophies is needed for a local arts festival.

Organizers of the Chilliwack Music and Dance Festival (previously called the Chilliwack Lions Club Music and Dance Festival) are looking for a new space for 40 to 50 trophies for the whole year and 250 trophies from mid-November to mid-March annually.

“We are looking for space with a business or community club who can spare a 12’ by 12’ by 10’ high room,” said festival registrar Laurie Hirschman. “We are willing to make this business or group a lead sponsor and also offer other benefits.”

The trophies need to be in their new home by Sept. 1 if possible.

For the past two years, the Chilliwack Music and Dance Festival has been virtual. This year, the festival changed its name when the Chilliwack Lions Club stepped down after 75 years of the festival.

Hirschman said they are also looking for volunteers for the festival which takes place every year in February and March.

A trophy co-ordinator is needed who will inventory and do small repairs on trophies as they are returned annually.

That person would also co-ordinate the trophies to arrive at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre when needed for competitions, which is usually eight trips within the competition time frame. It takes about 50 hours a year to do this job.

Other volunteer positions are also available which come with a small honourarium:

• A new registrar is needed for the whole festival. This position has been done by Hirschman for the past 23 years, but due to ongoing health issues she needs to step down into a smaller role. She will be on hand to help support the new person or persons taking on this role.

• A dance registrar is needed to handle the online registrations for dance only. This position possibly needs to be filled by a former dance student or former or current dance parent or teacher. The bulk of this work is done from mid-November to Dec. 20 with some light work during January to mid-February and then again during the dance competition times.

• A lead dance co-ordinator is needed to help the two other backstage adult volunteers with everyday issues that occur during the competition. This person would also serve as liaison with the student volunteers from Chilliwack School District 33 and help lay out a work schedule for them. Other responsibilities would be to advise on prospective dance adjudicators for the upcoming festival.

• Other volunteers are required for the day-to-day running of the festival at the Chilliwack Cultural Centre during competition times.

Festival dates for 2023 are Feb. 16 to March 16.

Any person or business with a space to spare for the trophies, and those interested in volunteering can contact Laurie Hirschman by email at clcmdf2021@gmail.com or call 604-858-3147.

READ MORE: Check out What’s happening Chilliwack in our community section for a list of upcoming events