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It�s magical, but not magic photo by Drew Fleming Volunteer Rosie Taylor of Medford shows Brad Garrett, 11, of Medford how to use the pottery wheel at the Children's Festival in Jacksonville. Hard work by army of volunteers makes Children�s Festival happen By David Preszler JACKSONVILLE � Medford�s Micki Pahl spend Sunday evening amid the tap, tap, tapping of dozens of hammers, trying to keep children off the slippery wood pile. She�s a volunteer at the 34th annual Children�s Festival, which started Sunday at the Britt Gardens. And when she found out they needed someone to supervise the carpentry booth � and brave a constant barrage of banging � she said sure. "Probably just not very much hearing," she said when asked if her task takes a special gift. This is her second year volunteering at the annual event. Like many festival workers, she started as a guest, bringing her own children, and decided to get involved. "I love to be able to help out and help other kids have as much fun as mine did," she said. "It�s such a great event for the community. It�s great to be a part of it." And there are a lot of parts to it. Behind the scenes of the popular annual event are legions of volunteers � a figure estimated to be north of 1,700 when you count all the performers, booth workers and such. There are even volunteers whose job is simply to bring food and drink to other volunteers. The three-day extravaganza continues today with sessions from 9 a.m. to noon and 6 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and concludes with a morning session from 9 a.m. to noon Tuesday. Admission is $2. The booths cover the Britt hillside, offering everything from pottery and finger painting to storytelling and magic. But the real magic happens in the weeks and months before the festival, according to Pat Blair, the "queen mother" of the volunteers. Blair was one of a half dozen volunteers, led by the late Myra Getchell, a librarian, who put on the first Children�s Festival. Since those early days, it has grown into perhaps the Rogue Valley�s largest volunteer-driven event. "It just kind of grows into this magical thing," says Blair when asked how all it comes together. "It appears like Brigadoon." That may be, but there�s a lot of organization that plays a big role, too. "This is such a well-oiled machine," said Susan Carlini, who handled publicity this year. The festival directors � Darla Foley and Janice Cox this year � serve two-year terms overseeing the event. This year�s volunteers are divided into 22 committees, covering everything from purchasing supplies to staffing the gates. While the effort hit full stride late last week, it essentially began in February, as it does every year, with a meeting of the committee chairpeople. The Storytelling Guild of Jackson County sponsors the event and selects the chairpeople, who, in turn, recruit more volunteers. From there, the committees begin their work � working independently to meet deadlines established over the years. Committee notebooks keep track of what worked and what didn�t, giving guidance to future committees. The tasks vary by committee. For instance, Carlini did paint last year, mixing 85 gallons of tempera paint in milk cartons in her garage. "That�s what it takes," she said. "Everybody�s got a job to do and they do it." "It�s just quietly being done all over town," said Blair. Foley, in her first year as festival director, admits it takes hours and hours to organize it all. But they are hours well spent. "When you see the children�s faces, it�s all worth it," she said. Once the festival gets going, the volunteers clearly enjoy it nearly as much as the children. "It�s a blast," said Rosie Taylor, a first-year volunteer in the popular pottery booth. "The thing that really makes this happen," said Blair, "is that it�s for the children. That phrase � �for the children� � is repeated over and over." Obituaries | Sports | Business | Classifieds | Tempo | Prime Times | So Oregon Sites | Outdoor Journal | Subscribe | Contact | Movies | Advertise | Real Estate Showcase | Archive | Editorials | Letters to the editor | Religion | Wake-up Call | NIE | Cyber Chef | Job Network | So Oregon Weather | WSJ Northwest | Forums | AP Wire | AP Money | F.A.Q. | Awards Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. The Community Newspaper Subsidiary of Dow Jones & Co, Inc Copyright �The Mail Tribune 2000, Medford, Oregon USA