Another Heritage Days is in the books, this one being the first one under the direction of the new Alliance Chamber of Commerce Director Cassielien Vankerrebrook, who declared it a success.
Vankerrebrook explained that this year saw several returning events, and a lot of help from the Heritage Days Committee and volunteers.
“It went really, really well,” said Vankerrebrook. “Thankfully, I had a really great committee. I’ve only been here for two months, almost three, which is great. I like to tell people that I had a really great board that jumped on board on the Heritage Days Committee. They laid the laces for me, and I just had to tie everything. We had a lot of help from volunteers from Keep Alliance Beautiful, and everyone played a roll and a part, and that really helped. I learned a lot, and I’m really excited for next year.”
Plans are already in the works for next year, Vankerrebrook explained, building on the momentum from this year’s Heritage Days. She noted that there were new vendors this year, including a balloon artist, and one similar to Build-A-Bear Workshop. She said working with Frazier Shows was great, highlighting the amount of pride they take in their work.
“That’s their life, and you can tell that they take pride in it, just especially when they’re having a conversation with me, they are very kind,” Vankerrebrook said. “Same way with the carnival vendors. They all helped each other out. The feedback was good. Overall it just went really well.”
Vankerrebrook shared her gratitude for all of the volunteers, and for people in the community sharing their ideas and support. She said that the experience helped to shed light on just the amount of work that goes into planning the community celebration.
“Growing up, I didn’t realize how much work the Chamber put into the carnival,” said Vankerrebrook. “Like, it’s ran by the Chamber, and I don’t think people know that. It’s not so much that we are trying to make income from it. We’re just trying to make sure that people have a good time from it. We just care that, at the end of the day, people are making memories, people are having a good time. Our goal is to make sure that the community has fun and makes memories. None of this is possible without our volunteers. If you see someone that you know plays a part in Heritage Days, like, even just saying, ‘Hey, thank you so much for what you did so our family can enjoy this time.’ There’s too many for me to even list. The majority of our community is involved. It means a lot to them, I’m sure, because it means a lot to me. A simple ‘thank you’ can go a long way.”
Vankerrebrook said that she hopes to get more young people involved in planning and volunteering next year.
“If people are interested in being on a committee, just reach out to the Chamber,” Vankerrebrook said. “If people are interested in volunteering, just reach out to the Chamber. We need more volunteers, all around Alliance, not just for the Chamber. It’s just trying to get the younger generation involved and saying our past generations did their part, it’s time for us to do our part. It feels good to do good.”