While area festivals and events abound, there’s often a lot more work being done behind the scenes-usually by dedicated volunteers-that allows events to operate smoothly.

Shepherdstown Street Fest, an annual fundraising event in Shepherdstown, is no different, and Dolores Nichols, a member of the Street Fest board and the volunteer coordinator for the event, is looking for “an army” of more than 70 volunteers for this year’s Street Fest, scheduled for June 25.

Nichols said Street Fest is an event that features live music on two stages, craft vendors and artisans, food vendors and a beer garden. This year’s headlining band on the main stage is the Christian Lopez Band, and act Nichols said is particularly exciting since Lopez is a Shepherdstown native.

Other acts include: Chamomile Whiskey, Restless Island, The Plate Scrapers, Holy Ghost Tent Revival, The Speakeasy Boys, Ginada Pinata, Ethereal Jive and A Faster Buffalo.

However, with all of the activities taking place on one day, Nichols said she will need volunteers to check IDs and pour beer and wine in the beer garden, watch the gates to the event, check on the vendors set up along the street, clean up and remove garbage after the event.

“The volunteers are our arms and legs. The board may be the backbone that starts everything, they get our music and vendors going, but the day of (the event), I need those 70 volunteers,” she said.

Applicants for volunteer posts can check the website, www.shepherdstownstreetfest.org, to download an application form. Nichols said she notifies applicants via email once they are selected. The deadline to apply as a volunteer is May 28, and Nichols said positions are filled on a first-come, first-served basis. She said the beer garden spots tend to fill up first.

Volunteers will get free tickets to the beer garden at the end of their shift, as well as a Shepherdstown Street Fest T-Shirt as a thank-you.

Nichols said Street Fest is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that names two charities, one local to Shepherdstown and one that is regional, as beneficiaries each year.

This year, the Shepherdstown Day Care center and Court Appointed Special Advocates of the Eastern Panhandle (CASA-EP) are the charities.

“These charities are the same ones we had last year, because last year (Street Fest) got rained out. We weren’t able to give as much to the charities as we had before, so we asked them to participate again this year,” Nichols said.

“We did raise some money, but not close to what we had done previously.”

Street Fest is held on two blocks of German Street in Shepherdstown, on either side of the intersection with King Street. Nichols said approximately 8,000 people attend the event, at least in years when the weather has been good.

In addition to volunteers, Nichols said Street Fest is looking for local businesses to sponsor the event. She said since there is no admission charge for Street Fest, sponsors are called upon to help the board offset the cost of booking the bands.

“The sponsors help us pay for the bands and keep our costs down,” Nichols said.

“Our money comes from the vendors paying for their spot on the street, from the beer and wine sales and from the sponsors we count on to pay for the bands.”

Anyone interested in becoming a sponsor can find more information on the Shepherdstown Street Fest website or email sponsors@Shepherdstown StreetFest.org.

This year’s Shepherdstown Street Fest will take place Saturday, June 25 from 10 a.m.-8:30 p.m.