The Gary Treesh Outstanding Volunteer Award honors those individuals who exhibit outstanding levels of time, energy and dedication to the planning and execution of the festival. Without good people like our past winners below the festival would never reach the levels of success it has.
2023 Steve Koers
2022 Sharea Clark
2021 Mandy Borg
2020 Everyone
2019 Carla Borkowski
2018 Rich Deering
2017 Anne Andrews
2016 Chris Frederick & Phil Squier
2015 Pete Schroedle
2014 Andy Baase & Mike Ross
2013 Dan Larson
2012 John Kirkpatrick & Jim Loew
2011 Connie & Roland Fagan
2010 Blaine Powers
2009 Dennis Goechel
2008 Alice Martina Smith
2007 Brian Carroll
2006 Kathie Frederick
2005 Tim Queisser
2004 Dan Babcock
Years ago there was a debate among parishioners that the parish should discontinue running a summer festival. The festival is a lot of work for a lot of people and the profits were minimal. Gary Treesh believed that the festival could be more profitable and that it was an event that not only the parish but the surrounding community looked forward to every year. At the time, Gary had run the elephant ear booth for years. Gary was determined to see the festival be successful. He poured his heart and soul into the festival and turned it around to be bigger and better than it ever had been.
In honor of Gary's relentless dedication to the festival the Gary Treesh Outstanding Volunteer Award was created. This award goes to a person or persons who give many hours of their time over many years to the success of the festival. It's a person who doesn't just work a shift or two each year but steps up without having to be asked and does whatever is needed. It's often a person that has the festival blocked off on their calendar a year in advance to take time from their normal lives to give everything they can in hard work to the success of the festival. It's the person with the spirit of Gary Treesh!