Roll The Credits
Volunteers work behind the scenes to make the
Smith Mountain Lake Wine Festival a hit
By Fred Tscheulin


                After viewing a good movie, do you stay put to read the credits as they crawl by? I do. And I’m always amazed at the number of people and diversified talents it takes to produce a film. I may recognize the names of the key actors and the director, but what is a “Key Grip” or “Best Boy”?  The work done behind the scenes is extensive and critical to the ultimate success of the production. So it is with the annual Smith Mountain Lake Wine Festival, which will take place Sept. 24-25 at Bernard’s Landing.
                A huge effort is made to assure recognition for the sponsors, wineries and vendors, but who are the people behind the scenes? What do they do? Where do they come from?
                In a word: Volunteers. Most have full-time positions working in the Lake area and contribute their free time to give back to the community. Every volunteer is a valued asset and performs an important service without which this event would not be possible. From the chairpersons to the clean-up committee, it is a daisy-chain of linked services that helps make the annual wine festival enjoyable for thousands of visitors and profitable as a fundraiser for the Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce.
                The work begins in March each year when the Chamber conducts the initial wine festival planning meeting with its staff and previous committee members. This meeting starts a six-month process of planning, staffing and organizing a crew of volunteers to “work behind the scenes” to make each year’s wine festival better than the last.
                The first order of business is to find a volunteer to become the event chair. This year, Mike Ryan and Paul Miller are serving as co-chairs. Next, it’s on to filling 30 volunteer committee head positions and recruiting even more people to staff those committees, which carry out more than 40 crucial hands-on tasks.
                From April through September the committees meet and complete their assigned tasks according to a historical agenda and timeline to assure a smooth operation. The Chamber estimates more than 65 volunteers will contribute over 1,300 hours of their time to cover all the bases. Now to roll the credits...

17th Annual SML Wine Festival
Smith Mountain Lake Chamber of Commerce Management, Staff and Visitor Center Volunteers

29 Sponsors and 6 Patrons

22 Wineries and 60 Exhibitors

4 Food Vendors

Wine Festival Co-Chairmen: Mike Ryan and Paul Miller

31 Committees and 65 Volunteers Responsible for the following tasks:
Sponsors, Posters, Ticket Distribution, Security, Parking, Graphics/Designs and Printing, Marketing, Wine Glasses and T-Shirts, Publicity, Transportation, Promotion, Fencing, Signs/Directions, Wrist Bands, Day Volunteer Recruitment, DayVolunteer Training, Ice, Golf Carts, Road Banners, Communications, Entertainment/Sound, Sponsor Hospitality, Winery and Vendor Applications, Tent Layout, Electrical Service, ABC Permit, Tents/Tables/Chairs, Sanitation Facilities, Clean-up, Accounting