Dakota City Heritage Village, Farmington - Dakota City Volunteer
General Description
Volunteers are essential to the quality of service provided to visitors of Dakota City. Volunteers represent a broad spectrum of society in terms of work experience, age, education, and ability. All volunteer work assigned is important; every effort is made to coordinate volunteer skills and interests with needs of Dakota City. These volunteers come from many backgrounds with many diverse talents, and currently work with paid staff throughout the organization on projects of varying degrees of complexity, from those requiring simple skills to the very specialized.
Here's a look at some of our volunteer opportunities:
Costumed Interpreters
Guide tours, play the part of town citizen, interpret a 1900-era building, give demonstrations including blacksmithing, carpentry, printing, cooking, baking, sewing, needlework, laundry and others. Costumes and training are provided by Dakota City.
One Room School Teachers
Teach students in a one-room school setting during spring and fall school programs. Interpret during special events and the Dakota County Fair. Need not be a certified teacher; costumes and training are provided by Dakota City.
Musicians
Violin/fiddle, guitar, banjo, piano/pump organ, harmonica, dulcimer, auto harp, accordion, and brass instruments musicians sometimes needed. Contact the office for more information.
Singers
Perform period music, also barbershop quartets, vaudeville acts.
Actors and Actresses
Dress in costume, act in skits or short vignettes at events.
Seamstress/Clothing Committee
Sew, mend and repair clothing for volunteers to wear in the Village; catalog costumes for use in the costume room.
Collections and Exhibits
Catalog and research books, photos, clothing, furniture and other artifacts. Develop, research and fabricate exhibits with the help of the Curator and Exhibit Coordinator.
Concessions/Food Services/Gift Shop
Prepare food and drink, greet and serve customers, handle food sales and keep the café clean. Sites include: Dakota City Café, Drugstore, lemonade cart, and corn stand.
Maintenance Volunteers
Help with groundskeeping, paint, garden, carpentry, repair items, clean, and other general maintenance duties.
Special Event Support
Preparation and set up, admission gate, drive tractors and/or guide trolleys, tend wood stoves, run errands, check on volunteers in buildings, shovel walkways and general event preparation and clean-up.
Machinery Men
Work on antique tractors used in parades and on display; assist in maintenance and repair of agricultural implements. The men meet every Tuesday morning at Dakota City. They start their 9am meeting with coffee and donuts then work on the equipment until noon. Come as often as you are able.
Tuesday Morning Ladies
Join the group of women who come in on Tuesday mornings from 9am - noon and help with a variety of tasks supporting the educational programs and the Village. One week might be helping with office work such as getting mailings out, another week might be doing crafts for an upcoming event. There is time for socializing with a mid-morning coffee and donut break. Many hands get a lot of work done! Come as often as you are able.
Location
Dakota City
4008 220th St. West
Farmington, MN 55024
Date/Time
Seasonal with varying shifts.
Minimum Time Commitment
Flexible scheduling that will depend on the opportunity.
Required Training
Any training will be conducted by site staff.
Additional Information
http://www.dakotacity.org/volunteer/
Contact Information
For more information on becoming a Dakota City Volunteer, please contact the Dakota City offices at 651-460-8050, ext. 1 or by email at info@dakotacity.org.
Volunteers for the school programs should contact the Education Coordinator at 651-460-8050 ext. 3 or email education@dakotacity.org.
