By: Molly Flodder—
Muncie, IN—East Central Indiana’s first “experience festival” kicks off next weekend on Saturday, August 27, from 12 noon-5 p.m. DreamFest, a fundraiser for Muncie nonprofit TEAMwork for Quality Living, will give attendees of all ages the chance to “Dream. Learn. Do.”
Those attending the event at the Delaware County Fairgrounds will have opportunities not only to observe activities in four zones, but to have hands-on experiences ranging from climbing a tree or learning belly dancing to being in the Stunt Jump or riding in the “World’s Slowest Bike Race.” Zones include Kids and Technology, Arts and Culture, Adventure and Sports, and Big Stuff and offer more than 40 opportunities for hands on involvement.
According to Kellie Arrowood, co-chair of the event, “Our DreamFest is an opportunity for people to try something they’ve always wanted to do. And, in addition, they can try to win raffle items located in each of the zones. For example, an antique quilt will be raffled off in our Arts and Culture Zone.”
There are also “Golden Ticket” bucket list items such as a Los Angeles prize package with VIP tickets to the Ellen DeGeneres Show, airfaire, four nights’ lodging, and rental car. A deep sea fishing trip to Florida, a hot air balloon ride for two, dinner and a plane ride for three over the Muncie area, and more.
The key “Fantasy Sponsors” for the event are : A1 for Fun, MutualBank, Hardin’s Bicycle Shop, and Linda Gregory. The next level of sponsors are “Wish Sponsors.” Those include Accutech, PrimeTrust Federal Credit Union, and George and Linda Branam. 104.1 FM WLBC and 96.7 BLAKE FM are media partners for this event.
“We are grateful for all the support we have for this first year of DreamFest and for the sense of adventure our sponsors have concerning starting a new event in our community,” said Molly Flodder, the other co-chair for the event.
Because TEAMwork’s mission is “empowering people in poverty toward self-sufficiency,” the 20-year-old nonprofit worked with sponsors who funded “Dream Kits,” a collection of wrist bands and tickets to help low-income families get in free and participate in several activities. These were distributed by area social service agencies to people they serve.
Costs for the fundraiser are $5 admission fees for adults and teens and $2 for children. Taking part in a hands-on experience can be free or a few dollars. The most costly experiences are no more than $10 and most are below $5. Zone raffle prize tickets are $1 each, and “Golden Ticket” raffle entries are $5 each.
“Putting on an event of this magnitude means that we need more than 150 volunteers. We are near our requirement, but could use a few more volunteers to help on that day,” said Arrowood. “Checking our Facebook page “DreamFest” and filling out a volunteer form and sending it before Tuesday, is the best way to help us.”
Anyone with questions about the event should address them to kellie@teamworkql.org or call 760-1134.
