Calling all party animals

The Republican National Convention, September 1-4 at the Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, needs a megawatt of volunteer power (about 10,000 persons) to provide what I would call visitor services: welcoming delegates at airports and hotels, assisting with transportation, supporting convention operations at the "X," providing guest services and other hosting activities at CivicFest at the Minneapolis Convention Center.

Volunteers will receive required training and get an insider's view of the convention. Shifts are four to six hours long.

What will the ideal volunteers look like? Based on my past experience, they:

• Are political junkies, anyone who has done campaign grunt work like walking parades, planting lawn signs, dropping campaign literature, smilin' and dailin' at a get-out-the-vote phone bank, door knocking


• Enjoy volunteering at large events like festivals or hospitality connected to major sporting events (Super Bowl, Final Four, World Series, PGA Championship), Taste of Minnesota, large concerts like the Basilica Block Party, or any sort of national convention


• Enjoy meeting new people from all over the country and sharing their hometown enthusiasm


• Enjoy working hard, and are flexible enough to deal with the chaos and last-minute changes that are almost inevitable at events like this, even when they miss lunch, the cookies and bottled water run out at the volunteer center, and they've been standing all day


• Enjoy wearing lanyards with ID badges, and bright colored t-shirts that say STAFF or VOLUNTEER, and saying "roger" or "ten-four" into walkie talkies

To join the party, go to http://www.msp2008.com/volunteer.