It’s been an interesting year for the Franklin County CTA Program which celebrated its 3rd birthday this past spring. In early 2020, new program coordinators Lauren Formosa and Evan Crider began their work to bring new life to the program and incorporate the visions of CTAs who had been a part of the program from the beginning, but just as things began to move forward, the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
It was a quiet Summer as Franklin County navigated ways to safely host events and return to being out and about and the CTA program began ramping up, preparing CTAs for their triumphant return to supporting and serving the community. As Summer rounded off, the event and opportunity calendar began to fill again and without hesitation, several of the Franklin County CTAs jumped on opportunities to volunteer and support local business, tourism, and events. Most recently, a group of CTAs came together as committee members and volunteers for the 5th Annual Oktoberfest Celebration at Renfrew Museum and Park hosted on Saturday, September 19th.
Six CTAs brought their strengths and talents to the Oktoberfest committee, each holding their own role in bringing success to the event that would for the first time, be held on the farmstead at Renfrew. Although there were several bumps along the way, the event came together in a format that followed guidelines provided by the CDC and Pennsylvania Governor by hosting two, four-hour event times to support limited capacity, food vouchers included with ticket purchase to be taken to the Biergarten to enjoy with locally sourced cider, beer and wine, sanitization stations throughout the event, a vendor serving German fare along with two additional food trucks, eight artisan vendors, historic demos, free kids activities, museum tours and oral and silent auctions. The event was accompanied by the sound of traditional German style music and sold out at one point, during the second event time between 4pm and 8pm. Ten CTAs joined the event and jumped in where help was needed as volunteers; they were there to welcome guests, serve food, pour beverages, clean the tables, assist with the auctions and of course have fun!
Renfrew Museum & Park said, “This year’s Oktoberfest was one of our best yet thanks to the hard work of the Franklin County CTAs! Thank you for all you do to support Renfrew Museum and Park, and all that Franklin County has to offer.”
The Franklin County CTA coordinators and CTAs look forward to a strong end to 2020 with a variety of opportunities to volunteer and be involved both in-person and virtually! The program looks forward to welcoming 2021 with a fresh perspective and lots of new, dedicated CTAs!
To learn more about the Certified Tourism Ambassador Program visit www.explorefranklincountypa.com/cta-events
By Lauren Formosa