Atlanta, GA — The 19th annual Kirkwood Spring Fling will be held on Saturday, May 14, at Bessie Branham Park. The Kirkwood Neighbors’ Organization is in need of more than 50 volunteers for the event.

Various positions are available from cheering on runners in the 5K to serving beer, and most shifts are two to three hours. Volunteers receive an exclusive t-shirt, a free drink ticket and more, according to an announcement from the KNO.

To sign up to volunteer, click here. The deadline to sign up is May 13.

In a Facebook post, Andrew Feury, Spring Fling chair, said KNO has gone from 100 empty volunteer slots to about 40 as of Tuesday.

He noted in his initial post on May 9 that unstaffed beer tents would be shut down and there could be restricted access to the bounce houses. He said, on May 9, that wait times for beer tents and the bounce houses could be over an hour.

“And that’s just the festivalgoer experience. The loss of revenue if [we] have one tent selling beer vs. three will result in budget cuts for KNO committees. Park improvements, donations to school PTAs & Neighbor in Need, and all the little things that make you think ‘wow, I live in a great neighborhood’ will be defunded,” Feury wrote in his post. “Finally, if we can’t rely on neighbors to volunteer, [then] next year we will be forced to look at hiring private staff. Think $15 beers and $25 kids area tickets. These things are only cheap today because your neighbors have graciously donated their time.”

Festival activities include a 5K race, an artist market, live music, food from local vendors and a Wing Fling cook-off. Admission to Spring Fling is free. Festival proceeds have been used to fund murals in Kirkwood, repair playgrounds, support local schools and nonprofits, and maintain the parks and bike paths.

The 5K Road Race begins at 8:30 a.m. in downtown Kirkwood. It passes by historic homes and tree-lined boulevards before ending downtown as Spring Fling gets started. Pets and strollers are welcome. The racecourse is a certified Peachtree Road Race qualifier.

Registration for the race is $40 and $20 for kids 12 and under.

New this year is the chicken wing cook off. It will be held from noon to 4 p.m. Attendees will be able to sample flavors from spicy buffalo to a dry-rub, and vote for their favorite to win the people’s choice award. Tickets are $15 in advance, or $20 the day of Spring Fling.

On Saturday and Sunday, there will be a tour of homes from noon to 5 p.m. to tour the results of renovations and new additions. Those on the tour can enjoy home gardens and tree-lined streets, get interior design ideas, and meet the people who have done the construction.

A kids’ area will be available from noon to 6 p.m. with activities from the Atlanta Falcons, Atlanta United, Intown Stars Gymnastics, and others. There will be bounce houses and face painting. Bounce house tickets are $1 per entry or $10 for all-day access.

The artist market will be open from noon to 8 p.m.

Live music performances will start at 12:30 p.m. and the last performance begins at 7 p.m. The performers are Druid Hills Billys, 5th Pixie, Gritz and Jelly Butter, Substance, Tulani, and Algebra Blessett.

If you appreciate our work, please become a paying supporter. For as little as $3 a month, you can help us keep you in the loop about your community. To become a supporter, click here. 

Want Decaturish delivered to your inbox every day? Sign up for our free newsletter by clicking here.