In 1978, Sweet Pea Festival began when a group of 17 community members got together and decided to put together an arts festival. Thirty-five years later, Sweet Pea continues to exist solely because of the involvement of the community. Thousands of people enjoy the Festival every year, but have you ever wondered how it all comes together?
To begin, Sweet Pea has two employees who work year-round: one full-time Executive Director and one part-time assistant. They are often called the “glue” that holds everything together – volunteers, deadlines, applications, etc. Someone has to make sure it all gets done! They run the office (located on East Main), respond to public inquiries, put together Board meetings, handle the books, and more.
Some people wonder what the staff does all year. After Festival, there is wrap-up of everything: collecting feedback from the community, balancing the finances, and inventorying remaining merchandise. Around October and November, they begin recruiting for open Board positions, budgeting for next year, organizing the office, and enjoying a short period of quiet before things get busy again. In the spring, planning kicks into high gear, and by June, the office is in full swing!
The Board of Directors starts with the Executive Board (the Board President, Vice-President, and Secretary/Treasurer) and nine Division Coordinators (DCs). Each DC is in charge of an area of the Festival: Admissions, Children’s Activities, Festival Exhibitions, Grants & Special Projects, Marketing/PR, Merchandising, Performing Arts, Physical Arrangements, and Pre-Festival Exhibitions. Most of those titles are fairly self-explanatory. Festival Exhibitions are things at the Festival like Arts & Crafts and the Flower Show; Pre-Festival Exhibitions are events before the Festival like the Ball and the Bite of Bozeman.
DCs main job is to help coordinate the Committees in their Division. Each Division has three to five Committees in it. For example, the Performing Arts Division has five Committees: Dance, Family Entertainment, Hospitality, Music, and Theatre.
Each Committee has a Committee Chair to oversee it. Some Committees are really Committees of one or two (just the Chair); some Committees are bigger. Every Committee Chair and DC has a one to two page job description outlining what needs to be accomplished in their area of responsibility and timeframe.
For example, the Poster Committee puts together the poster contest application, collects the entrants, hosts a meeting to chose the finalists, presents these finalists to the Board, notifies the winner, sends the artwork to the printer for reproduction, handles press about the poster and winner, and sets up a place to show all the entries. Whew!
Altogether, there are nine Divisions, and 32 Committees. All Division Coordinators and Committee Chairs are part of the Board of Directors, so plus the Executive Board, that equals 44 people! Thankfully, those job descriptions define everyone’s tasks so no one is stepping on each other’s toes.
While some people think having a Board of 44 people sounds like a nightmare, it’s actually vital to keep the Festival working. If we got rid of any Committees, that part of Festival wouldn’t happen!
The Board of Directors meets once a month and twice in July to conduct business and vote on things such as performers and the t-shirt design. Divisions usually meet once a month in the spring and summer as well to coordinate. To help Board meetings run smoothly, only DCs and Executive Board members vote. Much like a representative democracy, Division Coordinators take a consensus of their Committee Chairs to cast one vote for the Division.
And that’s the Board of Directors! But it’s just the beginning because even with all those Division Coordinators, Committee Chairs, and Committees, it’s still not enough to put on the Festival.
Hundreds and hundreds of volunteers contribute thousands of hours to help pull the Festival off. Each Committee has different areas where they need volunteers. Admissions needs volunteers to sell wristbands for a couple of hours at the gates; Children’s Activities needs volunteers to help kids with the fun; Merchandising needs volunteers to sell t-shirts; Physical Arrangements needs volunteers to set up and take down stages and tents. You get the idea.
Once Festival begins, it’s quite magical. All of the pieces come together as each Committee, each DC, each volunteer plays their part. Each Festival is unique as each Festival is put together by a different group of people, all working together to create this beloved community tradition.
So thank you to everyone who helps put together Sweet Pea! The Festival would not be possible without you. It truly is your Festival.
And now you know how it all comes together!