Parks commission seeks volunteers for Cottonwood and Wildflower festivals

Chair Nancy Crowe opened the April 14 meeting and introduced a visitor before staff presented festival recruitment and programming details for two major spring events.

Spencer Duall, recreation staff, told the commission that “festival season is almost upon us” and outlined plans for the Cottonwood Art Festival in May — a juried show billed as the festival’s anniversary event with more than 200 exhibiting artists and a featured artist, Julia Gilmore of New Hampshire. Duall described outreach that brings visiting artists into Richardson ISD classrooms and pointed commissioners toward on‑site exhibits at the Iseman Center.

Duall also previewed the Wildflower Arts and Music Festival scheduled for May 15–17, listing multiple stages, more than 100 performers, a marketplace area, a Battle of the Bands that advances finalists to the Wildflower stage, and family programming in an area rebranded as “the Grove.” Additional attractions this year include an art guitar auction, a craft beer and wine garden, a silent disco and a retro arcade; staff said the community mural will return and invited public participation.

Staff emphasized volunteer needs across festival operations — from the children’s Art Stop with ticketed crafts to market and stage staffing — and said QR codes for sign-ups would be provided at the end of the presentation and shared online. A commissioner asked whether the Chalk the Walk activity would return at Cottonwood; staff confirmed Chalk the Walk will be scheduled in the fall rather than spring.

The commission did not take formal action on festival programming at this meeting but members were asked to spread volunteer opportunities and to attend related community events such as the VIP Cottonwood dinner on May 1. The commissions’ calendar reminders included the planned May 23 opening for the Heights Aquatic Center.