Spring Daze Blooms with Help from Town Technology

Spring has sprung, and for those of us in the Cary area, that means a virtual (and sometimes literal) parade of fun festivals and events.

Cary’s lovely venues and parks host an array of community events, including the Pimento Cheese Festival (April 12), Wheels on Academy (May 17), and a long list of Koka Booth musical acts and shows. But Cary’s big hits are their Daze: Spring Daze in April and Lazy Daze in August.

“It’s shady and it’s April, so it’s not too hot,” Festivals and Events Supervisor Jenna Kostka says of Spring Daze, coming up April 26 in Bond Park. “It’s just a beautiful overall festival. It’s also our Earth Day celebration, (so) we have lots of Earth-focused booths.”

Arts and Artists

Both Daze events focus on arts and crafts, along with entertainment, local vendors, food, and drinks. The Spring Daze event is exclusively for North Carolina artists, with this year’s festival drawing 170 artists from across the state, including 11 from Cary.

These events are also juried, meaning that artists must apply and be accepted through a rigorous blind review process. The Town received more than 400 applications this year, with the 170 accepted artists representing a wide array of media from Ceramics to Printmaking. Lazy Daze is even more competitive, with artists applying from across the United States.

So how does the Town manage these artists and applications? It’s all handled online with a tool called ZAPP™. The ZAPP System allows artists to upload high-quality images of their work, complete with descriptions and artist info. Since the tool is used for festivals and competitions all over, the information doesn’t need to be added or uploaded repeatedly, but can be reused by the artist to apply to any number of open events. It’s also free to artists, giving them the opportunity to share their work with a wide range of audiences.

For organizers, the ZAPP tool allows them to review applications and judge them in the system. The tool also allows select images to be made available via the web, meaning you can see the art of those who will be at the event in advance. Before you go, you can check out the artwork for this year’s Spring Daze or browse what was available at the 2024 Lazy Daze. These pages also include the booth information for each artist, so if you see something you like, check the map and make a beeline for your favorites on arrival.

“You can plan everything before you even get there, which is really cool,” Jenna says.

Calling Volunteers

The Town of Cary team also relies on tech to help them manage their volunteers. It takes a lot of work to make these events happen, with more than 180 volunteer shifts for Spring Daze. With two festival days, Lazy Daze requires more than 300 volunteer shifts.

To help make this happen, the planning team uses a tool called Rosterfy. Interested parties can sign up and use the tool to complete necessary paperwork, and also indicate their preferred role and volunteer shift(s). The tool also helps with required training, registration confirmations, and event reminders, letting organizers focus on other logistics.

“Rosterfy is a new tool to us this year,” explains Festivals and Events Program Specialist Maddie Lamkins. “It’s really exciting to be able to incorporate the waiver and training in, because those were pieces that were all separate before.”

Volunteers are still needed for Spring Daze, with tasks from “Booth Sitter” to spots on the “Green Team” still open. Learn more and sign up on the Spring Daze site!

Team Effort

Of course there’s lots of other work taking place behind the scenes, made possible by the whole Town of Cary team.

“On the entertainment side and the food vendor side, there is thought that goes into how to power all of those things. I think we’re fortunate to have an incredible public works team,” Maddie says. “They make it happen for us.”

You can contribute, too. With more than 15,000 guests expected, Bond Park and the surrounding areas will be busy. Don’t forget to check the website for information on parking and transportation alternatives, and consider options like shuttles, ride shares, and biking, which may be preferable.