With the much-anticipated Pincher Creek Pro Rodeo just around the corner, organizers are calling for a few more weekend volunteers — no experience required.

The rodeo runs Aug. 13 to 16, and while organizers have filled most volunteer positions, they still need help for Saturday and Sunday.

Lynn Lievers, who co-chairs the rodeo organizing committee, says the openings are for the two most eventful days of the rodeo.

Volunteers are needed to take admission and sell programs at the gates and take admission and sell tickets at the cabaret. Those with ProServe certification can take roles pouring beer in the beer gardens or at the cabaret.

The cabaret remains one of the harder areas to staff, particularly for the late-night shifts, which can run until about 2 a.m., but Lievers makes the case that it’s also where volunteers have the most fun.

“Honestly, I think they have the most fun out of all the volunteers we have all weekend,” she says. “Everyone’s in a good mood, there’s great music, it moves quickly; you’re not sitting around waiting for things to happen.”

The beer garden is also a lively place to volunteer and has several open positions for the Sunday afternoon shift.

Volunteers must be 18 or older to work the cabaret or beer gardens. Under the rodeo’s liquor licence, Lievers says, 25 per cent of servers must have ProServe certification, while other volunteers without certification can assist with selling beer tickets and other duties.

Shifts run two to four hours, depending on the position and the day, and people can sign up for as many as they like. No experience is needed and organizers will show volunteers what to do.

In return, volunteers receive free admission and lunch from the concession on the day they work and a free pass to attend another day of their choosing. Packages are available at the contestant gate and can be picked up in advance of the scheduled shift.

For Lievers, volunteering is about giving back to a “beautiful community” that has given her family so much over time and ensuring the rodeo remains a fixture in Pincher Creek.

“I truly believe that if you benefit from living in a community, then you should find a way to give back to it in whatever way suits you, and this is just our way, my husband and I,” she explains.

Reflecting further, Lievers recalls advice from Dale Butterwick, her former rodeo coach, who encouraged those involved in rodeo to take responsibility for supporting the events in their hometowns.

“He said, ‘If you don’t do it, then the rodeos in your little towns will die out,’ and I really took that to heart because I thought he is exactly right,” she says.

Upwards of a dozen volunteers are needed to fill the remaining positions.

Lievers says organizers will ensure volunteers know what they need to do when they arrive for their shifts, with herself, Lana McGlynn or another board member available to answer questions and address any issues that arise.

Those interested in volunteering can visit the rodeo’s volunteer online sign-up page at volunteersignup.org/DPTH7 and select from available shifts.

There is no formal deadline but Lievers encourages anyone signing up close to or during rodeo weekend to contact her directly at 403-432-1369 so organizers can prepare their volunteer package.