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FALL FESTIVAL 2013
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‘Joy’ful first
Veteran committee member takes reins of Fall Festival
The Plymouth Fall Festival has
been a part of Eric Joy's life for more
than two decades. This year, for the
first time, he has taken the helm of the
event, working to organize, plan and
manage the festival that takes over the
town every year the weekend after
LaborDay.
“I guess I really started to be inter-
ested when my Dad was in the Rotary
Club and worked on the Chicken
Barbeque,” Joy, 39, said. “Since then,
I've been involved one way or another
almost every year.”
This year, Joy is president of the
Fall Festival Board of Directors, which
is no small job. He worked his way up
to that responsibility after several
years as a festival volunteer, then sec-
retary of the board, then vice-president
for a fewyears and this year, president.
He admits that the event is time
consuming and hardwork, but Joy says
he would certainly do it again next
year. He is, ultimately, responsible for
just about everything that goes on dur-
ing theweekend.
“It is more than satisfying,” he said,
“knowing that this helps so many com-
munity groups as their main fundrais-
er. Watching the families going through
the town having a good time. I can't tell
you how satisfying and how much I
enjoy that part of it. Just watching peo-
plehave a good time.”
Joy and his fellow board members
Secretary Scott Harris and Treasurer
MikeRichardson, have spent countless
hours in regularly scheduledmeetings,
on the phones with organizations, and
in meetings and conversations with
local civic groups ensuring that all the
necessary details of an undertaking of
this size are taken care of.
“People really have no idea of what
goes on behind the scenes to get this
done,” Joy said. “Not that we want
them too. We want it to seem seamless
and all people do is go have a good
time and enjoy the free entertainment
and visit the booths. We don't want any-
body to be thinking about what it took
to get it done.”
But it takes a lot. And every year the
details change and new challenges are
presented as the festival continues to
evolve.
“Over the next couple of years I
have two goals for the festival,” Joy
said. “I want the event to becomemore
financially stable and I want to have
more community group involvement.”
Joy explained that his first goal
would allow for his second, because
the more financially profitable the fes-
tival becomes, the more the board can
help local groups with the expense of
having a boothor display downtown.
“People don't realize how much it
costs these groups to have a booth, how
much they have to invest in renting a
tent or display, supplies or goods, hav-
ing a health inspection, insurance, a
safety inspection and so many factors”
Joy said. “I'd like to be able to help
them with those costs so they could
keep more of what they earn to put
back into the community.”
Joy noted that the carnival rides
and midway portion of the festival are
crucial to the financial success of the
event.
Eric Joy
See
Board,
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