Volunteers answer the call in Port Hope to transform Haute Goat Farm for Cultivate Festival

Volunteer Cory Elliott works in the rain on the stage situated in the garden during a Cultivate Festival build day Sunday, Aug. 30. /Tim Burgess photos

By editor/reporter Sarah Hyatt

The Cultivate Festival is just around the corner in Port Hope and volunteers have been rallying to make sure the 10th anniversary edition won’t disappoint.

Last Sunday, Aug. 30, volunteers gathered at Haute Goat Farm “for a good old-fashioned festival build day.”

“It’s always so rewarding when we ask for the community’s help and they deliver,” Cultivate’s executive director Jeff Bray told the Independent. “We made some great progress this past weekend (and) we can’t wait for the community to see it at Cultivate Festival.

Volunteer Cory Elliott (left) and volunteer and musician Tony Joe Washington work together to build the roof for an outdoor stage that will be located in the garden at Haute Goat Farm for the 10^th Cultivate Festival later this month.

“We simply couldn’t do what we do without volunteers. We are so grateful,” continued Bray.

From making signs, to painting and finishing up stages, volunteers spent several hours tackling a number of projects ahead of the three-day festival, which is coming at Haute Goat Farm in Port Hope from Sept. 25 to 27.

Volunteers Stan Muldoon (front) and Zach Brown carry wood for painting Cultivate Festival signs into the barn at Haute Goat Farm.

Bray noted it takes a whole lot of hands to turn the farm into a stage for the volunteer-powered festival.

Volunteers also continue to be in high demand with the registered Cultivate Community charity.

Bray earlier told the Independent that Cultivate is supported every year by more than 120 volunteers who donate thousands of hours in service of the charity’s mission to strengthen local communities through the arts, culture and year-round programming.

Volunteer Zach Brown works on attaching sign boards to stakes to hold signs for the upcoming Cultivate Festival.

As previously reported, this year the organization has also announced a shift to a pay-what-you-can model for the signature festival (and all its other events) with hopes of knocking down barriers around accessibility and inclusion. (However, people still need to get festival tickets despite the change due to space limitations.)

For this year’s festival, more than 100 Canadian artists are set to perform at the farm, which spans 200 acres. There will also be workshops and Indigenous programming, local food and drink, camping and family fun, an arts hive, markets, and interactive community experiences.

Volunteer Stan Muldoon paints the backdrop for a message board in the barn at Haute Goat Farm.

People can learn more about volunteer opportunities via cultivatefestival.ca/volunteer.