French Quarter Fest volunteer Stu Barash has worn many hats within the festival’s organizational ranks over the years.

Barash currently serves on the board of French Quarter Festivals Inc., and he served as the organization’s fifth president in 1988. But that has never stopped him from getting his hands dirty.

Photo by: Stephen Maloney

“It’s a working board,” he said. “You can’t just say ‘oh, I’m a board member’ and get all the glory of being on the board. You work.”

The festival has a system of quality controls that require each board member to try their hand at every different job – from cleanup duty to overseeing VIP rooms for donors and special guests.

“Wherever they need us to fill in, we’ll do that,” Barash said. “There are almost 2,000 volunteers that sign up to do this every year, including the board. They give us the opportunity of picking our spots first.”

That idea of working hard to maintain quality has been a driving factor for Barash in the year and a half since he returned to New Orleans and the board after having been displaced by Hurricane Katrina.

“Our goal is to make this the best festival,” he said. “I think we’re as big as we’re going to be, so now it’s a matter of getting it to where everybody is as comfortable as possible.”

Out of the many roles he has filled throughout the years, Barash said one stands out as the most enjoyable.

“I love pouring beer, because you really get to talk to the people,” he said. “But we can’t drink it. That’s the only downside.”