The inspiration to volunteer at Rooster Walk can happen anywhere—even a library.

One day Shannon Lenahan walked into a library to use the restroom. Feeling sheepish about heading straight to the facilities, she picked up a random book and opened it to a random page. The magical text inside suggested volunteering at a music festival.

“I closed the book, put it back on the shelf, went to the bathroom, and then went and signed up to volunteer,” Lenahan says.

At her first shift at Rooster Walk, someone asked Lenahan if she could handle the task of asking music artists to sign a guitar for a charity raffle. She did it that year and each of the five years since, and now she’s known as the Guitar Getter.

“I was just looking for a fun thing to do—a way to spice up my life a little bit,” Lenahan says. “It’s not even necessarily about any band that’s here. I just like to be here around these people that are enjoying themselves and being kind to each other and just enjoying life.”

Pretty much everyone you talk to about volunteering at Rooster Walk expresses a similar feeling. To a person, folks say they enjoy the atmosphere, the camaraderie with festival workers and patrons, the satisfaction of helping out, and the free admission.

Volunteer coordinator Meghan Brown says that she this all the time. Some people even come to her table in the middle of the festival, and she is able put them to work pouring beer, cleaning up the site, assisting patrons, parking cars, or any of a number of tasks that are necessary to keep the festival running.

The perks of the gig are sweet: a four-day general admission ticket, an offsite parking pass, a volunteer t-shirt, snacks and drinks, and new friends—perhaps friends for life.

“There are people that I have met through this festival that I’ve talked to on a regular basis that I’ve been talking to for six years,” Brown says. “It’s just a great way to meet people that are of similar minds and similar hobbies, and there’s a great group of staff and volunteer presence here.”

Brown says she had about 125 volunteers in 2024, but triple that would be closer to ideal. That would enable her to spread out the work more and perhaps require shorter or fewer volunteer shifts. She says she never requires people to do jobs they don’t want to do, and she works with people who can’t fulfill the required 15 hours of work during the festival.

“I’m happy to accommodate your schedule,” Brown says. “If you can’t do three shifts, I’ll do two for fewer days of a ticket. We’ll figure out something that works for you.”

Some people simply enjoy volunteering so much, they work multiple roles. Waldo Anderson says that he will sometimes have four jobs during a festival: ABC, parking, checkpoint, and cleanup (but only one job each day). He also enjoys working the pre-festival site prep weekends in April and May. After more than seven years volunteering, Anderson feels comfortable doing whatever is asked of him.

“I’ve been in it long enough,” he says. “There’s always going to be curve balls, but I kind of know the game.”

Sometimes it takes a while for a love of the festival to transition into volunteering, as it did for William Gravely. He has attended every Rooster Walk, and decided to volunteer in 2024. He was assigned to be a People Mover, transporting guests, which worked out well. Gravely said he found a sense of purpose and a lot of enjoyment, especially driving kids.

“It was just time to give back,” he says. “I wanted to be a part of that. I was tired of doing nothing during the days, and I thought I’d help out. I’m having the best time.”

It’s common for volunteers to transition to paid festival staff over the years as they gain skills and experience. K.J. Gill gave his time as a People Mover and box office worker for several years before he joined the staff four years ago. One of his favorite memories is helping an older patron clean the mud off her mobility scooter to get it running again. He loves seeing certain patrons every year, like Dave and Ann, who always offer him a sandwich. But Gill’s big takeaway is how hard everyone works to put on Rooster Walk, no matter their role. 

“There could be any number of problems that you’ve never even dealt with that’ll spring up, and you’re in go mode,” he says. “People who don’t work together daily have to get things done in the right place, in the right time, in a way that’s safe. I’m actually learning valuable skills. I get to come back every year and I feel like I’m coming home. It’s a really interesting and fulfilling thing to be a part of.”

Susanna Smith and Robin Hines had done a bunch of previous volunteering. For various reasons, both were hired directly onto staff, where they frequently help mobilize volunteers in the merchandise tent. Smith loves the feeling of community you get by just diving in.

“It’s fun,” Smith says. “You’ll get your breaks, you’ll hear some music. It’s awesome. It’ll just make you feel a part of the festival.”

Hines is a big believer in the power of music, especially for children. She loves that Rooster Walk’s proceeds benefit local band programs, providing instruments that enable kids to get music education they might not otherwise have.

“I never volunteered for anything that isn’t raising funds for something that I believe,” she says. “If you study music, it’s going to open doors.”

“It gives you a good amount of time to step away from the festival but still be there,” Coral Sarasza says. “You have certain times where you chill and help out. I have all night to hang out and listen to music.”

Interested? Visit roosterwalk.com/volunteer for more information. The magic is in the folks you meet.

“Just do it, because there’s no downside,” Lenahan says. “It’s just such a fantastic atmosphere to meet the best people—and I have.”