WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS — The music draws thousands of people to a field outside White Sulphur Springs each year. Keeping the Red Ants Pants Music Festival moving, however, takes a team of volunteers working across the grounds.
Some greet festivalgoers and check wristbands at the gate. Others serve drinks, help people find their way, or stay after the final song to clean up.
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This year, roughly 250 volunteers completed more than 1,700 hours of service. Festival organizers estimate that their time was equivalent to a $62,000 donation.
“They really are the heart of the community,” said Shannon Stober, the festival’s volunteer coordinator.
Many of those volunteers return year after year. Some travel from across Montana, while others come from different states or make the festival part of an annual family trip.
“They purchase festival passes and are volunteering because they want to give back, and they just care so deeply about the cause,” Stober said.
For Melodie Snyder, volunteering offered a chance to experience a different side of the festival.
Snyder first attended last year as a vendor. This time, she traveled from Billings, traded her vendor role for a volunteer shift and still found time to enjoy the music.
“I just love helping, and I love the vibes,” Snyder said. “I love live music. I love serving people.”
She arrived on her own, but it did not take long to feel part of the festival community. Snyder said the volunteer operation was organized and welcoming, even for someone who had never worked a shift before.
At the front gate, Eric “EJ” Lawrence had a firsthand view of the excitement.
Lawrence checked wristbands as people arrived, making him one of the first volunteers festivalgoers encountered on their way into the grounds.
“I love seeing the look on people’s faces,” Lawrence said. “I love seeing how excited people are to get here.”
Originally from St. Louis, Lawrence has family in Montana and signed up to volunteer through his work. It was his first time attending the Red Ants Pants Music Festival, but his shift at the gate quickly introduced him to visitors and fellow volunteers from across the country.
“It keeps you on your feet, but it was great,” Lawrence said.
That spirit of service extends beyond festival weekend and into the Red Ants Pants Foundation’s work throughout the year.
Stober also serves as lead facilitator for the foundation’s Girls Leadership Program, which brings together girls entering their junior year of high school from communities across Montana.
Participants attend three retreats, complete a community project and work with adult women mentors. The program focuses on developing strength in leadership, courage in using one’s voice, pride in rural communities and hope for the future.
“It’s a wonderful way to get these young women together outside of their little bubbles, working with a larger community,” Stober said. “It just develops this amazing sense of belonging.”
For some participants, that connection eventually brings them back to the festival.
Girls Leadership Program alumni were on the grounds this year helping with youth activities and filling other staff and volunteer roles throughout the weekend. Stober said their involvement shows how lessons developed during the program can carry into the larger community.
“They’ve kind of risen the ranks and are involved with all areas of the foundation,” Stober said.
From the first wristband check to the final cleanup, volunteers help bring the homegrown festival back each year. In the process, they are also creating space for a new generation to step forward and become part of that work.
Applications for the next Girls Leadership Program cohort are open through Sept. 11. The program begins this fall.
