FAIRMONT — It’s been 26 years since Minnesota last hosted a Super Bowl, but now we’re in the midst of festivities as the big game is less than a week away. A lot goes into planning a Super Bowl and with all of the events surrounding it, many volunteers are needed to ensure that everyone stays safe and has a good time.

The Super Bowl Host Committee had asked for 10,000 volunteers, called Crew 52, to help out with this year’s Super Bowl. Of those 10,000 volunteers, many of whom come from around the country and world, a handful are from Fairmont and several of its surrounding towns.

“Do not think that everyone (who applied) got chosen,” said Karen Toupal, a Super Bowl Volunteer from Fairmont.

An estimated 30,000 people applied to be volunteers, and 15,000 were ultimately interviewed before the 10,000 were selected.

The Super Bowl Host Committee started advertising in February 2017 that they were looking for volunteers who are friendly, warm, outgoing and knowledgeable about Minnesota. They also needed to be guest service orientated and willing to be flexible and help in all areas.

The official website says, “During the 10-day lead up to Super Bowl LII, we will welcome more than 1 million guests to our region. Some of our guests will be visiting Minnesota for the first time, and we want to make sure it is not their last. Our volunteer team will often be the first point of contact for visitors and their friendly source of information.”

All volunteers had to go through a face to face interview sometime in the fall of 2017, which Dave Nawrocki, another local volunteer, said only last about five to 10 minutes for him. At that time, volunteers were asked a variety of questions including can you handle the cold and are you able to stand for long periods of time.

“But they also wanted you to describe Minnesota and how you would promote Minnesota,” Karen Toupal said.

“It goes with our Bring it Home thing, you want people to feel like they’re home. And then they’ll want to come back and that’s good for our economy,” added local volunteer Cheryl Petrowiak.

All volunteers also had to attend orientation in the fall, which was at the Xcel Energy

Center. Finally, all volunteers needed to attend role specific training earlier this month.

Each volunteer must commit to a minimum of three shifts which range from four to six hours each. The shifts started Jan. 27 and go through Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 4.

Of the local volunteers, some went up for their first shift this past weekend, while others will be going later this week or next weekend.

Volunteers could be stationed to help out at the Mall of America, airport, hotels, the skyways, and at Nicollet Mall, which is a 12-block portion of Nicollet Avenue running through downtown Minneapolis, which is where Super Bowl Live will take place. Volunteers know the general area where they’ll be helping out at, but when they show up for duty is when they will find out what they specifically will be doing.

When asked what their main jobs as volunteers are, Karen Toupal said, “basically help with directions, greet people and also look for safety concerns.”

Volunteers were told to look for anything out of the ordinary. They watched videos and also heard presentations from the Minneapolis Police Department on different topics concerning safety issues. They were also told to be aware of signs of human trafficking. If they see anything suspicious, they’re supposed to report it to a team captain or a police officer.

All volunteers will need to wear credentials which include their picture I.D., volunteer number and safety information. They must wear these during their shifts, but need to cover them up for photos and cannot wear them while they are out elsewhere in public.

All volunteers were given a big box filled with gear that they are supposed to wear. Items they were given include: a jacket, shirt, hat, mittens, scarf, coffee thermos and a backpack, among a few other items.

“If you want to stay downtown with the activities, you’re supposed to put on a different coat,” said Rhonda Hines. This is to ensure that volunteers aren’t asked a question somewhere when they’re off duty and don’t know the answer to.

All volunteers are responsible for finding a place to stay while up there and they were told that’s it’s preferred that they not stay in nearby hotels because that’s where guests will need to stay. Hotels are also very expensive at this time, going for 500 or more a night at many places.

“That’s the first thing I did before I even applied,” admitted Petrowiak. She went on to say that even volunteers and helping other volunteers find a place to stay, offering up their own home if they live close.

Most of the local volunteers are staying at a relative’s or friend’s house and they’ll be able to take the metro transit to U.S. Bank Stadium if they wish.

With 90 percent of Crew 52 being from the state, Minnesota is being recognized for the rate at which volunteers are showing up.

When the Super Bowl was in San Fransisco, about 40 percent of the volunteers didn’t even show up to training, whereas in Minnesota, only 5 percent didn’t show up, explained Elle Kehoe in a Star Tribune article. Kehoe is the Director of Volunteers.

“Why would you drop out?” asked local volunteer Gordy Toupal. “We volunteered because we wanted to see what it was like so I don’t understand why you would drop out.”

When asked why local volunteers wanted to be part of it, Nawrocki agreed he wanted to see what it was like.

“I was curious to see what all goes into it. This is probably the closest any of us will ever get to the Super Bowl,” added Nawrocki.

The other volunteers agreed with that. With tickets going for around $3,000 or more, it’s not something the average person usually chooses to spend their money on.

“We decided that when we retired, we were going to volunteer for different things, so when we saw this we decided to sign up,” Karen Toupal said of herself and husband Gordy.

“I thought it was a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Hines.

Katie Hanson, who is from Bricelyn, Minn., was selected to be a team captain for the Super Bowl Live Event. When asked why Hanson wanted to be a volunteer, she said, “I wanted to make sure that all parts of the state are represented, not just those in the metro.”

While the volunteers have undergone several training sessions and have been given a lot of information, it’s hard to imagine what it will be like once there.

“They keep telling us thousands of people, there are going to be thousands of people,” Karen Toupal said.