The Annual Milford Oyster Festival is seeking volunteers to help out with the 34th Festival scheduled for Friday, August 15th from 5 pm to 9 pm and Saturday, August 16th, from 10 am to 6pm. Rain or Shine. Many hands are needed! We need volunteers on Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

Can you commit some of your time to help? We welcome your participation for any one or all of the days, or part of a day. We need volunteers to help us on Friday between noon and 10:00 pm; on Saturday between 6:00 am and 7:00 pm and Sunday between 8:00 am and 11:00 am.

You can help more than 65 non-profit organizations in one day!

Did you know that by volunteering for the Milford Oyster Festival you are helping more than 65 non-profit organizations from Milford and surrounding areas?  The Milford Oyster Festival has a purpose!!  It is presented every year, by a committee of volunteers, to give non-profit organizations an opportunity to promote awareness of their goals, who they are, what they do, and it helps them to raise funds for their programs.  Each year more than 65 organizations participate in the Milford Oyster Festival - selling food in the Food Court selling beverages and snacks on the green; and participating in the Non-Profit section of the festival on the green. For many of the organizations it is one of the major fundraising activities of the year.

Volunteers on Friday afternoon and evening are needed to help out with new activities and to help set up for Saturday. Friday night we will be setting up stages, tables and chairs, posting signs, and undertaking general set-up activities. On Saturday we need volunteers to sell children's ride tickets; to get the stage area up and running in the morning and to break down the stage after the show; to work in the souvenir booths and the information booths; to handle the canoe and kayak race registration; schooner cruises and oyster decorating events; to assist in the Classic Car area; to provide volunteer support (volunteer registration and to keep our volunteer team supplied with food and drink); to oversee parking and traffic situations; and days end clean-up activities. On Sunday we need volunteers for general clean-up activities, removing signs and packing supplies away for next year.

The new venue this year includes opening night on Friday from 5 to 9 pm on the harbor. Schooner cruises, children's rides and entertainment will begin Friday night in preparation for Saturday. Milford Downtown Merchants are also planning specials for Friday night. On Saturday, the festival will run from 10 am to 6 pm. Vehicles will be rerouted around downtown and the streets will be open to pedestrians. Shuttle buses will be running and traditional festival events including the canoe and kayak race, arts and crafts on the green, Big Toys in the parking area behind Archie Moore's, expanded harbor attractions, oyster boats, schooner cruises, lots of oysters in the food court, children's entertainment, the main stage will be in the field next to the food court, and the classic car and motorcycle exhibit and hop will be back this year.

Volunteers are a very important aspect of the Annual Milford Oyster Festival and the Committee needs to recruit more volunteers to help us with the event.

We are hopeful that you will have a place in your weekly calendar listing to prompt volunteers to come forward and help out at this well attended annual celebration.