By Daniel Hartill,Staff Writer

LEWISTON – Leaders of the Festival de Joie want a hand.

The annual cultural festival – scheduled for Aug. 5 to 7 – needs about 65 more volunteers to meet its needs.

“Nothing happens without our volunteers,” said Lionel Guay, the festival’s longtime chairman.

It takes 175 people to put on the three-day festival. So far, 110 have signed up.

The drive for more help is part of the final weeks of preparation for the festival, which is also taking place one week later than last year.

The celebration originally was held during the first weekend in August. However, people were forced to change the dates due to other commitments.

Now it’s back on course, one of several summer festivals in Lewiston-Auburn, including the Liberty Festival held on Independence Day, and the Great Falls Balloon Festival scheduled for Aug. 19 to 21.

Like the balloon celebration, the Festival de Joie is celebrating its 13th year. There will be few changes, said Guay, who is also Lewiston’s mayor.

New performers will be featured, but the traditional items, such as the Franco food, crafts and music, will be back.

“We try to offer the people what they want,” Guay said. The budget is tight, though.

“We’re still hurting from the year that we had all the rain,” he said.

Instead of paying for help, people have been giving their help for years, using their vacations to work long days for free.

However, the volunteers are aging. Many are in their 70s. Some people have had to stop due to illnesses and infirmities, Guay said.

So, the festival is looking for people to help in all sorts of ways, from setting up to working in the kitchen to keeping the Railroad Park grounds secure.

Volunteers are rewarded. In return for working a four-hour shift, each helper is given a one-day pass. Two four-hour shifts earns a weekend pass. And for every shift, volunteers earn a meal ticket.

To volunteer for the 13th annual Festival de Joie, people may call 782-6231.