Musicians Make Outstanding First Impression at Tucson Labor Day Celebration
By Johanna Lundy
The Pima Area Labor Federation (PALF) Labor Day Celebration, which took place in Reid Park on September 5, was a great success. This was Local 33’s first year participating in the event, which included free food, drinks and games to all who attended. The celebration was a big draw for families since it provided free entertainment for kids, and the turnout was excellent. We were amazingly lucky that the weather was overcast, as temperatures had been at least 100° the days before.
The festival was a fun and informative event that allowed members of Local 33 to meet many other members of Tucson AFL-CIO affiliated unions and encouraged members of the community to learn about us. Many people who stopped by our table said, “I didn’t know there was a musicians’ union,” so this was a great first step in gaining exposure in the wider Tucson community. We were also able to make contacts with other unions and union supporters.
The main event at the Local 33 booth was our instrument petting zoo. For four hours, we had a constant stream of kids of all ages who each got a quick lesson on various musical instruments. Many parents were interested in finding out more information about private lessons and teachers for their children.
At the front of our booth, we had many people stop by to talk to us and learn more about what we do. Several people asked about joining the local. We were able to hand out flyers with information on all sorts of concerts, including the TSO “Just for Kids!” series, which was great to share since it is free and directed towards families.
After the event, Laura Hogan, Field Director of PALF and organizer of the event sent us a message saying, “The Musicians’ booth was one of the most popular at the Labor Day celebration. The children were so excited to actually get to play the instruments. What a great idea!” Because the interest was so great, we are planning to expand next year to a second table of instruments.
Special thanks to all our Local 33 volunteers: Rebecca McKee, Anna Gendler, Byron Yount, Jeff Holsen, Jessica Campbell, Emma Votapek, Ben Nisbet, and to Sara Fraker, who did so much behind the scenes to coordinate a successful event. We also are very grateful to John Snavely and Cassandra Bendickson, who loaned us additional instruments for the day.
I hope that you will consider volun-teering your time for the next event that Local 33 participates in. We are hoping to have another instrument petting zoo in the late spring, so we could use more instruments as well as “teachers.” It was tremendous to see so many people interested in music. This was a simple but effective way for us to give back to the community. This event served as a reminder of what a unique gift we all have, which we might sometimes take for granted. The simple act of playing an instrument can be a special treat to experience.
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Check out another photo featuring the Local 33 Instrument Petting Zoo at The Arizona Daily Star’s coverage of the picnic HERE.