Beef Days weekend is one of the highlights of the summer in Solon as thousands of people flock to Main Street for the festival. But the show would not go on without the many volunteers that help out in the days before the craziness.
The volunteers range from all sorts of people and organizations. The Co-President of Solon Beef Days, Denise Bruck, estimated that over 20 different organizations help with setting up the festival or cleaning up. Amongst these organizations are many of the Solon School District’s athletic teams. “It teaches the kids to give back to the community and we wouldn’t be able to do Beef Days without them,” she said.
The students show up Tuesday morning and all-day Thursday to help Solon Public Works Director Scott Kleppe and the rest of the city workers and volunteers.
Thursday is the big day of set up for the volunteers. That is when the beer tent and stage go up with all the other benches and tables scattered around Main Street. This year the Solon boys’ basketball program worked Thursday afternoon to help set up the beer tent.
In the heat of the day the boys were working under the supervision of some of their coaches. Lee Cusick, the sophomore boys’ basketball coach, was the head of the supply chain of chairs making their way from a trailer to the beer tent. Cusick said they like to volunteer for Beef Days to help out in the community. For Cusick, one of the best parts of Beef Days is catching up with people and past students who come back to Solon for the event.
On the other side of the festival, Sherri Nieukrik worked away at setting up one of the many carnival games brought to Solon by Sam’s Amusements & Carnivals, Inc. from Shawnee, OK. Nieukrik has operated the game for 16 years at Beef Days. Her game is one of many carnival games that draw the attention of many who are looking to bring home a prize. Nieukrik shared the same love for the festival as Cusick did, as her favorite part is seeing all the people out at the festival again.
The volunteers help make the festival happen, whether they help set up, clean up, or even emcee the parade as Don Ellis, “The Voice of the Spartans,” has for decades. Organizations will even run booths selling food and products. Scout Troop 120 and Cub Scout Pack 120 run a food booth and this year, handed out free popcorn. The Solon Robotics Team have made it a tradition to sell ice cream every year at the Beef Days.
Because Beef Days is a non-profit, all the organizations that volunteer can receive some of the money Beef Days brings in. Bruck said, “There’s just so many groups around town that they use this as their fundraiser. They volunteer for us, then when we are doing our funding request season, they can come ask us for money and we are able to help support their organizations.”