HUNTSVILLE – Residents can see, hear and feel the experience of the 32nd annual Panoply Arts Festival by volunteering for one of Huntsville’s most venerable and cherished events.

As the largest community event in Huntsville, Panoply requires more than 1,000 volunteers. Festival chairmen Amber Farris and Demetria Cruz now are recruiting volunteers from Huntsville and Madison County.

A program of The Arts Council Inc., Panoply 2014 will be held April 25-27 in Big Spring International Park.

The word ‘Panoply’ originated with the Greek word ‘panoplia’ or “a magnificent or impressive array.” As an all-encompassing arts festival, Panoply celebrates the visual arts, music, dance and theatre.

Volunteer openings run the gamut of possibilities from painting children’s (and maybe adults’) faces, assisting instrumental and vocal musicians to helping with logistics.

In the Panoply Art Marketplace, visitors will find diverse artisans who work with clay, drawing, fiber, glass, jewelry, mixed media, painting, photography, printmaking, sculpture, wood and bonsai. Participants compete from across the country to be accepted in this area.

Panoply’s Arts in Action tent introduces visitors to the procedures that professionals must complete to create their work. Artists will demonstrate airbrushing, sculpting, woodturning, staining glass, weaving tapestries and designing pottery.

North Alabama’s top talents will perform on stages throughout Big Spring Park. These performers have already applied to perform, and Panoply officials soon will announce the entertainment lineup.

Street performers, magicians, mimes and dance companies add to the mixture that is Panoply.

Volunteering at Panoply allows residents to contribute to qualify of life in the community. The volunteer schedule is flexible to accommodate most any person interested in helping.

For more information, call 256-519-ARTS (2787). For a volunteer application, visit artshuntsville.org and click the Panoply section.