Volta Park Festival Celebrates Fall, Friends and Fun
By • October 4, 2021 0 694
Much was the same for the big return this year, but there were also a number of precautions put in place due to the pandemic to ensure a safe and fun celebration for all at the Oct. 2 Volta Park Fall Festival.
“Everyone in the community seemed genuinely thrilled to be back together in-person at the park, and the Friends of Volta Park, under the outstanding leadership of our president Darcy Nauman, couldn’t have been happier to make the day happen,” said Ashley Burke, one of the festival’s organizers.
Attendees enjoyed live music from bluegrass band Split String Soup, food prepared by the Georgetown University Grilling Society, a photo op area designed by Atelier Ashley Flowers, carnival games, pony rides, games and popcorn with members of the Metropolitan Police Department. Of course, there was bouncing (masks required for all bounce-house participants, and strict limits on the number of children allowed to bounce at a time) on two bounce houses — and a different kind of “face painting”: no faces, sanitized hands only, due to COVID precautions. Organizers offered lots of hand sanitizer required before every single game, along with disposable masks available on-site for attendees who may have forgotten to bring them.
The first raffle, which was for a lululemon mirror home gym, was won by Georgetown’s very own Liz D’Angio.
“While the numbers are still coming in, it was without question our most successful Fall Festival that we have ever hosted from a fundraising perspective,” Burke told The Georgetowner. “The event is typically a break-even event for us, but the community was clearly thrilled to be back together and we were able to raise thousands, all of which will go to the upkeep of the park.”
The organizers wanted to give a shoutout to sponsors “who made this wonderful event possible.” An anonymous donor gave $2,500 to ensure the success of this year’s event, and they were thrilled to have the Little Folks School, Washington Fine Properties’s Liz D’Angio and Obsidian as sponsors of this year’s fall festival.
Members of the Friends of Volta Park Board, from left to right, front row: Michelle Johnstone, Carrie Hoffman, Darcy Nauman, Saraya Arnold, Elizabeth Reid; back row: Alison Garback and Ashley Burke. Courtesy the Friends of Volta Park.
Courtesy Metropolitan Police Department.
