FAIRPORT, N.Y. — Festival season is about to kick into high gear around the Greater Rochester area. The Lilac Festival opens Friday, followed by Fairport Canal Days the first weekend in June. One thing these festivals can’t run without, volunteers. The next generation of volunteers is stepping up in Fairport.

Fairport Canal Days is a 46-year tradition of arts, crafts, live music, food, and, of course, the people. It’s a weekend of fabulous Fairport fun that takes a good 10 months of planning.

What You Need To Know

  • Fairport Canal Days is celebrating its 46th year as one of the premier juried art festivals in the Northeast

  • There are about a dozen volunteers on the Canal Days committee who hold monthly meetings about 10 months out of the year to prepare for the annual festival

  • More than 75 people volunteer the weekend of the festival

From the vendors to the signs and even the recycle bins, Canal Days volunteers hash out every detail. Some of them have been volunteering to do it for decades like Fritz May. Fairport’s former mayor has been a Canal Days volunteer for 40 years. He knows festivals everywhere need some younger volunteers to keep them going.

“There is a love for this community and a love for bringing people in to show off the community. We are promoting the merchants who live here and work here as well. There are other people from other communities, who have just as much pride in this event as we do,” said May.

The Fairport faithful are answering the call. Lydia Rugaber is now the Canal Days committee chair and Ian Winner is the co-chair.

Winner laughed as he shared his first Canal Days volunteer experience at age 14 cleaning up after the chicken barbecue. He’s got much more to do now, and he’s here for all of it.

“Everyone volunteers. It is not a for-profit show and everything goes back to the Merchants Association and public art. It supports our local small businesses. Everybody lives here because it’s a great place to live,” said Winner. "If you live here you need to look locally to see where you can make a difference."

Winner and Rugaber are giving their time and talent to ensure Fairport Canal Days future. Rugaber’s mother is a Fairport merchant and longtime volunteer too, so her heart is in Fairport for sure.

“There are quite a few festivals that have unfortunately dissipated because no one has stepped up to volunteer so if we want these amazing festivals to continue we need new individuals coming to the board,” said Rugaber. "I really want to give back to the community I grew up in."

Kudos to the next generation of community leaders. We'll see you at Fairport Canal Days June 2-4.

If you’d like to volunteer head to fairportcanaldays.com.

Spencerport Canal Days can also use some volunteers ahead of its July event. You can find more information at spencerportcanaldays.com.