Sherbrooke Village cancels Christmas event due to volunteer shortage

Sherbrooke Village in Guysborough County normally comes alive during the holiday season, encouraging visitors to experience the way of life before the turn of the 20th century. 

But not this year.

The museum has cancelled its Old Fashioned Christmas, which has been running since 1996. An announcement on Facebook cited "shifting community demographics and volunteer burnout."

Wendy Shelly, the event's chair, says it takes more than 50 people to run the event over three days.

"Board members have started out at the beginning of this and maybe by the end of the year something has come up that they haven't been able to finish off the year," she said. "For reasons, just in life in general, they just haven't been able to show up."

Shelly said that people in her community are aging out of volunteering and it has been hard to find younger people to fill the roles.

Shortage of volunteers everywhere, says organization

It is not a unique situation.

Megan Conway, CEO of Volunteer Canada, said volunteer participation has been declining across the country, especially post-pandemic. 

Conway said it is increasingly common in rural communities for older people to leave volunteer positions and have no one to take their place.

"It's a sad trend and I feel for those that were connected to that event because I'm sure that event and that organization played a really meaningful role in the community," said Conway. 

Another issue nationwide is that organizations saw substantial cuts in staffing and funding during the pandemic, so they require more volunteers to work more hours. Conway said that leads to volunteer burnout.

Effect on community

In a statement, the Municipality of the District of St. Marys wrote it was "surprised and saddened" by the cancellation, describing it as a "cherished event" for families. 

York Lethbridge, executive director of the Sherbrooke Restoration Commission, said organizers will work toward an Old Fashioned Christmas in 2025.

"There is a number of disappointed people that have expressed their support online," he said. "We hope that those people will become active volunteers in supporting this event going forward."