Tour Guide Profile: Christine Conway

Featured, Festival, Headlines, Volunteer

If you are ever at a Pavilion or walking up to one and see a person wearing an orange Folklorama shirt leading a group of people – this is one of the official Folklorama Tour Guides.

A Tour Guide volunteer position is one of the most sought-after roles during each Festival. These amazing folks are your personal guides that take you from one side of the world to the other on one of the many VIP or Group Tours Folklorama offers.

One of those amazing folks is Christine Conway.

Conway’s connection with Folklorama started in the mid-’70s from her family’s love for the Festival and volunteering with the Ukraine-Lviv Pavilion. It was there that she gained her passion for Folklorama and joined the ranks of the Tour Guides in 1997.

“Being a Tour Guide allows me to meet people from around the world and make new friends from your own backyard”, states Conway. “Folklorama is a family reunion every summer!​”

The Tour Guide meets you at your designated pick-up spot. Then once you jump on the bus, pick up your bike, or start to walk all you have to do is relax, enjoy, and leave everything to them.

“My most memorable tour was in 2017, a group of Indigenous high school students and teachers from Belcourt North Dakota”, states Conway.  “Each high school student had to earn a spot on this trip to Folklorama. Every student had to have an A average and contribute to their community to qualify. I had the pleasure of spending the week with them, and what amazing students they were! Some of the students were living with mental and physical health issues, some were juggling the demands of high school and being a single parent. It was a remarkable and inspiring week that I will never forget!”

Conway is also a proud Folklorama dance Mom!  Her daughter danced for many years at the Ireland-Irish and United Kingdom Pavilions. And her son danced at the Ukraine-Kyiv Pavilion. “I was so proud to show off my talented family to my tour groups!”

A shout out to all Tour Guides for their incredible spirit and passion.

If you want to experience what it’s like to join a Tour or have a group you want to get together for a new adventure, click here to see what’s available or contact our team at [email protected].