Volunteer
Volunteer with Us
We Need You!
Roanoke Island Festival Park is seeking motivated and energetic volunteers to be costumed interpreters, greeters at special programs, gift shop associates, and members of the Elizabeth II Volunteer Crew. Volunteers in the Education Department will learn how to blend history with fun to help daily visitors and school groups explore Roanoke Island Festival Park.
Interested volunteers should fill out an application and return it to Roanoke Island Festival Park by fax (252.475.1500), mail (One Festival Park, Manteo, NC 27954), or by dropping it off at the Roanoke Island Festival Park Ticket Sales Desk or Administrative Office to be distributed to the correct department.
Volunteers in the Education Department will report to Anna Davis, Manager of Education and Interpretation, and will learn how to blend history with fun to help daily visitors and school groups explore Roanoke Island Festival Park. Education Department volunteers must be able to stand for prolonged periods of time, be able to work outside, and commit to volunteering at least six hours per month, working at least two hours per scheduled day between 10:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. to help with lunch relief.
Contact 252-423-5200 or email: festivalparkinformation@ncdcr.gov for further details.
Volunteer Opportunities
Interpret the English voyages to Roanoke Island as a still-living member of the 1585 expedition. Volunteers will be trained by Department staff, given a character profile and period garb to make history come alive for visitors aboard the Elizabeth II, in the Settlement Site, and on the Front Porch.
Interpret American Indian life and the history of Roanoke Island as a non-costumed interpreter dressed in Khaki pants or shorts and a blue Roanoke Island Festival Park polo shirt. Volunteers will be trained by Department staff to encourage visitors to explore hand-on activities scattered throughout the Roanoke Island Adventure Museum and the American Indian Town.
Interact with students and teachers as a costumed or non-costumed interpreter in Roanoke Island Festival Park’s school tour programs. Volunteers will be trained to follow scripted material, which includes hand-on activities and follows the North Carolina Standard Course of Study, and to follow a school tour rotation schedule. Volunteer guides may either be a costumed interpreter aboard the Elizabeth II or in the Settlement Site or a non-costumed interpreter in the Adventure Museum or American Indian Town.
Assist staff members in providing special programs to both youth and adult visitors to Roanoke Island Festival Park. Special programs may include summer camps, overnight adventures, or special presentations scheduled in addition to the park’s daily offerings. Responsibilities may include setting up and clearing up a program, leading hand-on activity, and providing temporary supervision of program participants.
The Programs Department at Roanoke Island Festival Park is responsible for organizing and executing all performances and events. Volunteers in this Department will report to Mike Shipley, Programs Manager. An interest in theatre, event production, and AV equipment is a plus. Programs volunteer activities range from handing out programs, ticket taking at kids shows, and greeting guests to assisting Park staff with setup and teardown of an event.
Volunteers at the The Museum Store will participate in a variety of activities from greeting and assisting customers to preparing and tagging merchandise in the Store.
The volunteer crew participates in a variety of activities during monthly crew weekends (held the second weekend of each month January through November) that includes ship maintenance, rigging, boat handling, and sail training under the direction of Captain Robbie Putnam.
Volunteers also have the opportunity to travel with the Elizabeth II to different ports and on training sails. In order to participate in an Elizabeth II sailing adventure, volunteers must earn at least 25 hours of training at crew weekends.