FREE admission to the MN State Fair!

Come Volunteer for EquiMania! receive a free T-shirt and free entrance to the State Fair!   EquiMania! is a brand new exhibit coming to the 2013 Minnesota State Fair.  It is an award winning educational program that was developed at the University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada in the form of a traveling exhibit.  This 5,500 pound display was viewed by over 873,000 trade show visitors in 2010 and is excellent in entertaining huge crowds.    The EquiMania! exhibit includes display stations covering a variety of horse topics such as:               Nutrition                                  Anatomy                                                          Horse Behavior                        Diseases and Parasites             Horse Careers                          Horse and Farm Safety                        Horse Welfare                         And MUCH more!                     Each station is equipped with unique educational displays, activities, and quizzes to engage youth from both urban and rural backgrounds.  Visitors will have fun learning about the care and welfare of horses and exploring the many career opportunities within the horse industry.   After partnering with EquiMania! at the University of Guelph, the Minnesota State Fair has agreed to create an exact replica of the exhibit to be housed at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds.  The replica will be used annually at the Minnesota State Fair.   This is a huge opportunity for Minnesota to be a leader in educating the public about industry issues and the horse in general.  That is where you come in!  Volunteers are what make EquiMania! so extraordinary, without people, clubs, and other organizations willing to volunteer, EquiMania could not exist.  We would like to invite you to volunteer for a shift at EquiMania!   Volunteer requirements:             1. Each volunteer must be a minimum of 16 years of age             2. Each volunteer MUST show up for the shift they sign up for.             3. We require each volunteer to have a background with horses and be knowledgeable to answer rbasic questions.   That's it!  Every volunteer will receive a free EquiMania! T-Shirt and free entrance into the fair for the day they work.    The fair runs a total of 12 days, from August 22nd to September 2nd.  Each day will consist of seven shifts of two hours each.  Each shift will require 15 volunteers.  This might seem like a lot initially, but thankfully the horse community is always willing to help out, especially for a good cause.     Shift times available to choose from: Thursday, August 22nd to Monday, September 2nd Shift 1:  7:30-9:15 Shift 2:  9:00-11:00 Shift 3:  10:45-12:45 Shift 4:  12:30-2:30 Shift 5:  2:15-4:15 Shift 6:  4:00-6:00 Shift 7:  5:45-7:30   Shifts are designed to allow incoming volunteers time for training.  You will not need to arrive before your shift begins.   Volunteers are able to work as many shifts as they wish, as many days as they wish.  Some clubs have expressed interest in creating two or three groups of 15 volunteers and spending the day at fair rotating shifts.  If this is something your club or organization is interested in, that's wonderful!  We absolutely encourage this rotation - but you are urged to decide on a day as soon as possible and contact me so we can make sure that day is blocked off.   Volunteer Opportunities: Individuals/Small Groups – Individuals and/or small groups can volunteer for one or multiple shifts. Shift – A group of 15 people to volunteer for an entire shift. Shift Rotation – A group of 15 people volunteer for a rotation of shifts throughout the day. Day of Volunteers – A club or organization provides all of the volunteers needed for an entire day.           (Additional benefits are included with this option!)   We welcome all volunteers!  Please be sure to pass this information along to any other person, club, or organization you feel would be interested.   Feel free to contact me with any questions or comments:             Cell phone: 320-232-3221             E-mail: nikkiosterdyk@gmail.com             Like EquiMania! on our facebook page: EquiMania at the Minnesota State Fair   Thank you for your help and support!   Nikki Osterdyk Minnesota State Fair EquiMania! Superintendent