[Glass-mit] 2006 MIT Pumpkin Patch: call for volunteers!

[Terri Matsakis]

Respond to Peter.  If you respond to me, I'll just be forwarding your
message.

Terri

---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 25 Aug 2006 09:09:33 EDT
From: PBHOUK at aol.com
Subject: 2006 MIT Pumpkin Patch: call for volunteers!

To all the planets and asteroids and other cosmic objects who orbit the Glass
Lab, or at least can see it with their telescopes:

As summer draws to a close with yet another rainy day and the Red Sox in free
fall, my mind turns to more pleasant topics, like the upcoming Sixth Annual
MIT Great Glass Pumpkin Patch, which is a scant five weeks away. Yes, this year
the Patch comes early: the sale itself will be on the last day of September,
September 30, from 10 to 5, in Kresge Oval. We will follow the usual pattern,
with the opening being on Friday the 29th from 5 PM to 8 PM, and the rain date
Sunday, October 1.
Once again we are looking for volunteers to help with a variety of tasks.
Last year was the smoothest ever, in large part because we had so many volunteers
who were generous with their time. This really is a case of the more the
better. We can put everybody to work doing something.
For those of you who have not been to the Patch before, or sort of forgot how
it works, here are the main times we will need help:
      Friday, September 29 , AM : moving boxes out to the tent area, starting
setup.
      Friday, September 29, PM (until 5): setting up tables, unwrapping
pumpkins, pricing pumpkins, setting up computers, taking pictures.
      Friday overnight shift: spending the night in the tent guarding all the
pumpkins (done in teams, usually in two shifts: from 8 PM to 1AM, and from 1
AM to 6AM).
      Saturday the BIG DAY: early workers arrive around 6-7 AM to start
shuttling pumpkins from the tent to the lawn. Some people bring coffee. A team gets
the point-of-sale computers up and running. We reconfigure all the tables into
sale mode, and divide up into platoons of sellers, packers, matchers, pumpkin
police, photographers, pumpkin fixers, etc. We can easily use 50 volunteers
from 9 AM until 2 PM.
      Saturday 5 - 7: cleanup. This usually goes pretty fast, usually out by
6:00.
      SO. Please let me know what you can do this year, and when you can do
it, and also if you would be available to work on Sunday if we get rained out on
Saturday.
      I probably don't need to remind you, but I will -- this is our big event
of the year. During this event, we generate 95% of the funding it takes to
run the Glass Lab for the year. So in a very direct sense, you volunteers keep
the Glass Lab operational because of your generosity and dedication.
      Thank you!
      I'm looking forward to another successful Pumpkin Patch this year.
      Peter