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Prince Rupert Special Events in need of Seafest volunteers

>embers of the Prince Rupert Special Events Society are worried about the lack of volunteers signed up for this year's Seafest.

With the 36th annual Seafest celebration drawing near, members of the Prince Rupert Special Events Society are worried about the lack of volunteers signed up for this year's event.

Seafest kicks off on Friday, June 13 and runs to Sunday, June 15, with committed volunteers needed for various tasks on each day of the celebration.

"We're really in need of people to come and help. Even just coming for two or three hours would be most appreciated. Anything helps," said Joy Sundin of the Prince Rupert Special Events Society.

Volunteers are needed for set up and take down for Children's Day in the Park on Friday, with the crew preparing for the event at noon and packing everything back up at 8 p.m.

Early Saturday morning volunteers with pick-up trucks are needed to put signage and barricades up for the parade route, with the same people being asked to take down the signs following the parade.

Volunteers are also needed for downtown set up from 6 a.m. until 9 a.m. for Saturday's activities, setting up tents, tables and garbage bins and then again to take them down.

Additionally, approximately 10 to 12 people are required to man the barricades downtown, as well as six certified traffic controllers that are needed from 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. for the parade. A sanitation crew to pick up garbage is required from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

That night more helpers are asked to help set up tents for Music at Mariner's.

On Sunday, volunteers are once again being asked to set up tents, tables, garbage cans and barricades in the morning and take them down after activities wrap up.

People are also needed to monitor the railway tracks down at the waterfront from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. as part of CN Rail's regulations.

If more volunteers don't sign up, Sundin warns Rupertites there will be some delays.

"It tires out the few people who do show up and makes it hard to run. Seafest is getting harder and harder to run each year because we don't have a good core of people who are willing to help each other," she said.

"If you want to see Seafest carry on, we do have to have people help out from the goodness of their heart."