Corvallis gears up for annual da Vinci Days festival with a little help from friends

After 18 years, da Vinci Days is still inspiring creativity and curiosity thanks to the passion of countless volunteers, according to Brenda VanDevelder, director of the annual festival, which opens today.

“This festival has thousands of volunteers who play such important roles in the success of this festival,” VanDevelder said. “The volunteers are the heart of the festival.”

VanDevelder is the only person paid to organize da Vinci Days; everything she cannot get done herself is tackled by willing community members who are excited about the festival.

“These volunteers we have are so important, they are the ones dreaming up projects and inspiring people to be creative,” VanDevelder said.

Chris Bell, associate dean in the College of Engineering at Oregon State University, is one of the many volunteers who enjoys lending a hand to help make da Vinci Days possible.

“I volunteer at da Vinci Days because it’s a fun thing to do, for one,” he said. “Plus, it’s really a wonderful opportunity for me and my colleagues to step up and show what we do there at the College of Engineering.”

Bell estimates that he spends about 100 hours a year preparing for the festival. He is in charge of coordinating the engineering exhibits and manages the efforts of 140 volunteers.

The Corvallis Youth Volunteer Corps is also active in the setup of the festival. This year the participants were aiding Don Taco in constructing the children’s maze. The seven girls worked together following Taco’s instructions about how to layout the maze, “Panel, frame, back, panel,” he would instruct. The girls then would line up with their colorful panels according to his instructions and stick the PVC pipe in the ground adding to the maze.

“I change the maze each year and sometimes even in the middle of festival,” Taco said. “One year a kid ran up with his family and said, ‘hey look how fast I can get through it!’ After he was in the maze for a while I heard him shout ‘Hey they changed it!’ I really liked that.”

Kris Egam, who last year put together a booth on GPS technology and geocaching, is eager to return with the popular booth’s second year at the festival.

“We had a fantastic turnout last year,” Egam said. “And this year we have people calling us and asking how they can help and are volunteering to work in the booth — even people we don’t know.”

Putting together a booth is time consuming, she noted. However, Egam said, it should be easier than last year’s brainstorming and “inventing the wheel.”

Egam attributed some of her project’s success to VanDevelder, saying, “A big reason we are able to get things done is because Brenda is so organized, she is just amazing.”

Another committee that devotes countless hours to da Vinci Days is the Film Festival Committee. Headed by Sue Queisser, the 18-person group spends hundreds of hours watching film entries.

They begin screening submissions by as early as January, sorting through nearly 200 entries.

“This is just one little example of the time that is put into this,” VanDevelder said. “Many of these volunteers, like Sue, put 20 hours a week into preparing for the festival, most of them on top of full-time jobs.”

“Unlike other events at da Vinci Days the film committee works year around,” Queisser explained. “We have the month of August off, that’s about all, and then things get started up as early as September.”

Queisser is in her seventh and final year of chairing the committee. Her commitment to the festival is immense, but she feels it is worth it because of the “jewels” that are uncovered while reviewing the entries.

“It’s so funny. Thirty percent of the films get in and then there are usually 70 or 100 films that are just horrible,” Queisser said.

“Then you have these review sessions that produce gems; films that make the hair on the back of your neck stand up because it’s so powerful and moving.”

When asked if there was one volunteer who stood out for exemplary volunteer work, VanDevelder laughed and said, “Everyone plays such an important role; I don’t know how I’ll choose.”

After some thinking, however, she mentioned Dale Claussen, the festival’s production manager.

“Dale puts all the pieces together,” VanDevelder said. “He takes care of the production needs of every program from power and setup to the logistics of exhibits and vendors — he does it all with a sense of humor and calmness.”

“It is a really neat experience to work with so many people in the community who’s interest is to put on a really great festival,” Claussen said. “I couldn’t do what I do without them.”

VanDevelder believes the community is so willing to volunteer because of the meaning and uniqueness of the festival.

“This festival is one place that this community can come together to celebrate who we are — creative, thoughtful people who care about the future.”

Da Vinci Days at a glance

Tickets: Three-day admission, $15 for adults (13 and over) and $10 for children (age 6-12); children 5 and under free. One-day admission, $10 for adults and $5 for children. Main entrance and ticket sales are at 11th Street and Madison Avenue.

Parking: Park free south of Reser Stadium at OSU and ride the free festival shuttle to all festival venues. Bicyclists can use the free and secure bike valet at the main entrance.

Click here for da Vinci Days' schedule