2010 Fair Season ends!

So I didn't realize how long it had been since I blogged!  As most of you know I'm home safe and sound, well rested (or as much as I can be) and now BORED!  We'll get to that later.....

After my short trip to the Utah State Fair.  I made my way down to what I like to refer to as the "Country of Texas".  If you've ever been to Texas or have spent a lot of time around folks from there, you understand what I mean.  People that were raised here or have been transplants for a while are definitely a different breed.  But I do love that Texan hospitality.

I started the fourth and final leg of my 2010 tour with a show w/ The Zac Brown Band and a local promoter.  While it was a show with many hiccups and bumps along the way we made it to show time and the show actually went on.  I was constantly on the phone with the band's agency still trying to sort out issues with the contract up until an hour before the show.  The biggest shocker was when the show was threatened because we were short $1million in insurance...let me tell you..it's not fun being on the phone thinking the show will be cancelled and trying to pull $1million worth of coverage out of your you know what.  Many prayers were answered and I didn't kill anyone (which I guess was one of the prayers) and the show went well.  In this business and especially in todays' world, it's a success when you break even.  So we love it when our clients make money!  Zac's show is great!  Out of three acts I was so busy running around trying to wrap up my end of it...I got to see 15seconds of the opening act...but it sure sounded good. =)

After this show I was looking forward to a few days of R&R.  Of course after holing myself up in the hotel for two days with my Nook, tv and room service, I was glad when the co-workers got into town so I had people to hang out with.  From that point on it was busy time again.  I got to take my time getting settled in for the next fair, South Plains Fair, which started a week after the Zac Brown show.  I even took a day to go to the spa for a much needed pedicure and facial.  (Thanks groupon!)

On Friday September 24th we kicked off the fair with the Eli Young Band.  These guys are awesome.  This was the third time I was working with them this year.  They are great guys, band, crew all of them.  It couldn't have been a better show to start with...laid back, easy, packed show.  They had the second highest attendance for the run of the fair!  We even got to hang out on the bus after the show and listen to their upcoming album.  It's going to be a good one!

We followed that night with Black Stone Cherry (a young rock act), and then a night off.  Since we had the night off several of my staff and I had a wonderful day exploring Lubbock wineries.  We even found ourselves lost in the sticks of Texas (I was singing the theme song of Deliverance in the back seat) but it's funny what good grapes you can grow out there.  I somehow made it back with two bottles of great wine, unbroken at that. =)

Monday was a great show with Jake Owen.  This guy has an awesome show!  You'll have to Youtube him to find out what he sings.  Unfortunately, he's falling in with all those male country stars that you know their songs but can't pair it with the actually singers name.  But this guy has the stage presence and is awesome with fans off stage.  He would have sat there and talked to me all day had I let him.  But with as cute as he was I wouldn't have minded.  Plus he has a REALLY cute dog, Vern, an American Bulldog.  He bands has some killer skills too...we'll be watching him climbing the ladder over the next few years. 

Following a great four days we had a Tejano show with 'La Mafia', a HUGE show with Los Lonely Boys on Thursday.  These guys rock!  They were having some issues with their bus and trailer which made it a little difficult but all in all the show was good and crew was good to work with.  Their show was being sponsored by State Farm (didn't help that I already despised the company before this date).  Of course their employees came in a tried taking over the place.  We spent the entire night just trying to keep them out of the aisle and from running behind the stage.  When one of them asked 'who are you?' I don't think she liked it when I replied 'I'm in charge of this building and concert, MAMM'.  The crowd was huge and our biggest turnout for the fair.  Thursday we had Blue Oyster Cult, Friday, EnVogue (love these guys and gals!), and wrapped it up Saturday with The Grass Roots.  They were a fun bunch of guys, so polite and cracking up. 

I, thankfully, had a later flight (11AM) on Sunday and had already packed Saturday morning (thinking the flight was at 9AM).  I got to go over to the fairgrounds and turn in the last of my keys and such and say my goodbyes to the staff and co-workers that were there that early.  Someone was watching over us because we had perfect weather for the run of the fair.  That Sunday morning it was a miserable 50degrees and rainy. 

Oh I forgot to mention I caught the Texas Crud again this year while I was there.  About two days into the fair I started getting really congested and had almost allergy like symptoms.  It didn't take long to turn into a chest cold and just make me plain miserable.  I think I've narrowed it down to 1) I'm allergic to cotton and when I'm there is right after harvest season 2) I was so worn down that with the allergies I just got sick.  Either way I survived.  My friends Diane and Liz helped me though!  Diane is a massage therapist (she worked out my sciatic nerve last year from bending over for 3hours straight tying the chair together with zip ties).  This year she had a ionic rod that she puts in water.  It basically pulls the positive ions out, putting your ions back in sync.  Don't ask me how it works...but it does!  I could actually feel it working.  I wish I had done it right when I started feeling sick, but it definitely helped me from getting to the point I was at last year (pretty much the flu).  It was amazing to see what the water turned into!

My flight was quick a painless...well I shouldn't say that...because of my cold I couldn't get my ears to pop.  It didn't help that I was the yucky person have to blow my nose on a plane but then it felt like my head was going to explode!  Six hours later (or really 2 months later) I was at home and enjoyed a quiet evening (after I fixed the thermostat, unpacked my luggage, and aired up the flat tire on my car) on the couch and watching the DVR'd show from the three weeks before. 

I'm now getting back into the swing of things.  It was boring being at the office.  The change of pace is always hard to adjust to.  But now we're starting all over again.  I just got assigned a show in November at the Iowa Fairgrounds (we'll be flying back the next morning to make it to the best friend's wedding open house), a week off then Thanksgiving, Conference in Vegas, Conference in Iowa the following weekend and couple of weeks off then Christmas...and then we're back putting in offers, getting contracts, and doing it all over again. =)  I'm looking forward to the 2011 season/year and the great shows and travels that come with them. 

Thanks for everyone that followed me around the country this year!  It was definitely a long trip but I enjoyed every minute of it. 

Utah State Fair- "Uncommonly Good"

I'm wrapping up my stay in Salt Lake at the Utah State Fair tonight.  Since tomorrow is a travel day to the next location I figured I'd go ahead blog so I don't get far behind.

I'm writing this with 'America' playing in the background to about 4,000 people.  A great crowd!  While they do sound just like a recording....I haven't recognized one song! =)  It's nights like these where I show my age or lack there of. 

However, last Friday was a different story with Boyz II Men.  I love those guys!  Considering I grew up listening to their music and last summer I had the pleasure of working with them several times, it's always a fun show.  They packed the house for the second time.  We had them here last year and because of how quick the tickets went and the number of people that showed up, I suggested they bring them back again.  And they did it again!  Maybe I'll just go on tour with them. =)

We had Mitchel Musso on Saturday and Ray Price on Sunday.  Mitchel packed in the screaming little girls and their parents.  It's always fun when you have to wear your earplugs not because of the show...but the audience.  Unfortunately, this group hasn't figured out that you can't try and be louder than the audience.  They were so loud!  We finally had to just turn the main pa volume down because they didn't quite know what they were doing.  Ray Price was a nice quite and relaxing environment.  I definitely didn't recognize any of his music but everyone was a pleasure to work with. 

I got to work with my buddies, Eli Young Band again.  This makes the third show that I've worked with them this year.  I also booked them at Iowa but didn't work on that show.  They are just a great band to work with.  One issue was screwed up with the promotions of the show and the crowd was extremely small.  However, they just pushed through and played just as if there were thousands.  I'm definitely looking forward to working with them at the next stop. 

Salt Lake is such a beautiful city.  If there's no other reason to come, I would come here for the scenery.  For some reason this city girl from the flat lands of corn loves the change to the rolling mountains.  However, I could do without the dryness!  My allergies have gone haywire. 
I've really been more conscious of my eating habits here. I've steered away from the McDonald's that's right outside my door.  Thankfully there's a Wendy's right behind me. =)  I'm started to feel better from just not eating so much junk as I did in NY.  Since I have so much downtime I finally was able to do my hotel room workout and use Bender Ball (excellent option for abs while traveling!).  I had planned to go to the indoor pool yesterday on my day off.  I was going to revert back to my college days of water aerobics.  LOL  However, as I was going to the pool I noticed the signs also pointing to a fitness center.  How I missed this for two years I have no clue!!  Needless to say it was like a mirage and I got a workout in instead of the pool.   Then I actually got up and went again this morning.  I'll get there....eventually. 

Tomorrow I have a long/great day of flying.  I'm flying Southwest (my fav airline!).  I had totally spaced checking in this morning.  As most of you know with this airline you have to check in and they issue you a boarding letter and number.  A-C  A1 is the best C means you load last.  As long as you check in right when you can (24 hours prior to flight) you're good with an A.  I finally realized it about 12 hours after I could check in...NOT GOOD!  But after checking in a getting in A20/22  I realized I had paid extra to get early bird check-in.  They had already checked me in...whew!  I wish I'd had remembered that!

I'll finally will get back to the central time zone (I've gone from eastern, to central, back to eastern, to mountain, will go to central and finally back to eastern) tomorrow!  That will definitely make the phones calls to the boy easier. =)  I'll be a lot less confused on whether I'm calling someone when they're home from work or even going to bed.  I don't see how people live in time zones this separated and function with the rest of us. 

Only 18 days til the tour is over and I'm home....for a little while anyway. =)

The Great New York State Fair!

Another one bites the dust...or another drop in bucket....whatever saying you want to put with it I'm now half way through my 'Mud and Dust Tour' of 2010!!  After the past one I think I can do anything.  For those of you that followed me around the country last year you know that I was at the New York State Fair.  Fortunately, my co-worker, Clay, was also there and was "shadowing" we'll say at the grandstand.  When they had dark days there we swapped up and he would produce the show at Chevy Court (the stage I was at).  Since we were granted the bid this year to produce the grandstand this wasn't possible.  So that meant 12 days straight of two shows daily for me at Chevy Court. 

Two days after finishing at Iowa I flew to NY and celebrated my birthday the next day while "moving in" to the fair.  We kicked off the run on the 26th.  We worked with acts like EnVogue, Kool & The Gang, Blue Oyster Cult, Kansas, Styx, Lady Antebellum Keith Sweat, Little Big Town and many MANY more!  Working 14-17 hour days can be exhausting...working 12 of those in a row...well let's just say it sucks.  :)  I finally hit rock bottom about the 31st.  Somehow the fuel of the following day, with Lady Antebellum, pushed me through and continued until the end. 

Things ran as smoothly as they could, considering we were loading in and off two different bands onto a less than large enough stage.  Huge crowds poured in for both 2:00PM and 8:00PM shows.  Across the way, Clay was having a few more hiccups than we could hope for.  Justin Bieber had decided to postpone his show from Sunday to Wednesday.  Any other night it wouldn't have been as caotic but this was the same night Lady A was scheduled to play Chevy Court.  One of the hottest acts today was playing on a free stage!  We knew the numbers were going to be huge and now we had to figure out how to spread the resources of security, catering, vehicles, etc. between the two largest shows of the fair.  And it couldn't have gone smoother!!  Clay ended up with a little over 17,000 in the grandstand and the show with Lady A was estimated at 29,800!!!  I have never seen so many people squeezed into that small of an area. 
Here's the link to the time lapse video they did.  This started at about 7:30AM, about when people started getting there to save seats.  http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1274200755640 

Lady Antebellum

I was basically on autopilot through the rest of the fair.  Great shows...even got to dance a little during Keith Sweat.  I got out to see some of the fair as well.  Played the lottery, gave blood for the first time, went Christmas shopping :).  They have a ton of animal exhibits there.  The closest I got to see them though were the tigers and elephants right outside the grandstand.  Spent a little time hanging out with Troy Gentry (Montgomery Gentry) and Justin Moore and crew one night....talking about home (Kentucky).  

We did create a new fried item!  Someone mentioned there was fried chocolate chip cookie dough.  To our disappointment and treking across the grounds only to find fried chocolate chip cookies, we decided to have our own made.  One of the security guards took a roll to the fried vendor and they cooked it up for us.  It was heaven!  Turns out it will be at the fair next year. :)  I can't wait!!

After wrapping up the 12 days, I spent the next day returning keys, doing laundry, running around town to Walmart and UPS and packing for the next trip.  I got to hang out w/ friends and had a wonderful sushi dinner (sushi on a conveyor belt...what a concept!) wine, and more wine.  Great times to wrap up a successful fair. 

One hilarious tibit that I picked up---those of us that aren't from or have spent a lot of time in NY think of the entire state to be just like the city.  Fast paced, heavily populated, rude people (for those that haven't been there and seen that it's not).  The funny thing is that outside of the city it's just like anywhere else.  Syracuse for example is very small town, country, "hick" like environments.  The greatest part is when they refer to the city they call it "New York".  Even when I was flying from Syracuse to New York City, the flight read "New York".  That's like everyone outside of Louisville, KY calling Louisville; Kentucky. :)

Here's the crowd comparison for the past two years.  A 15% increase!
                             2009         2010


2 PM shows total 48,500      50,500

8 PM shows total 105,500   127,300

Total attendance 154,000    177,800

A break down of each individual show

2:00PM


En Vogue 2,500

Blue Oyster Cult 7,000

Adam Richman 9,000

Trailer Choir 2,000

Steve Lippia w/ CNYJO 4,000

Herman's Hermits 5,000 HOT

Mario Batali 2,500 HOT

Eli Young Band 2,000

Justin Moore 3,500

Mitchel Musso 4,500

Katharine McPhee 4,000

Jackyl 4,500

50,500

8:00PM

Kool & The Gang 6,000

Kansas 16,000

Styx 18,500

Blues Traveler 7,500

30 Seconds to Mars 7,500

1964 The Tribute 8,500

Lady Antebellum 29,800 RECORD

Little Big Town 7,000

Coheed and Cambria 8,000 drizzle rain right after show

Robert Randolph 5,000

Keith Sweat 12,000

Marc Broussard 1,500

127,300



Total Chevy Court 177,800


Next I was off to the beautiful city of Salt Lake.  Last year I was able to leave NY a few days early and have a few days at home.  This year I was there longer and decided to split the two days off between NY and UT.  What I didn't comprehend when booking my flights was that that would mean a 5 hour flight from NYC to Salt Lake City.  That was just a small form of tourture.  I arrived safely though and have the beautiful views of the mountains.  We kick off the Utah State Fair shows tomorrow with Boyz II Men.  Looking forward to another great run!

'Non Stop Fun'- Iowa State Fair

First off let me apologize for not blogging until now.  We had a huge run at the Iowa State Fair with back to back large acts and massive crowds.  I had to choose whether to catch an extra hour of sleep or blog.  Fortunately/Unfortunately, the first selection won! 

Iowa, as always, was a blast!  I arrived on site Tuesday the 12th ready to hit the ground running.  Being on the fair circuit and getting to work with the same fairs every year turns into somewhat of a family reunion.  Some of these folks have been working together for over 20years. 

As most of you know Iowa was hit with some major storms a few weeks ago.  Almost 20" in 3 Days.  Fortunately, it didn't affect the fairgrounds a great deal but did flood many streets in the city as well as large areas immediately north and south of the city. 

We had several huge successes in the grandstand;
Mercy Me/newsboys 5,671
Keith Urban 9,850
Shinedown 6,154
Jeff Dunham 9,238
REO Speedwagon 8,619
Darius Rucker 3,583
Boys Like Girls 2,932
Sugarland 10,813
Sheryl Crow 5,856

Sugarland was BY FAR my favorite show to work with and to watch.  It was the only one that I parked myself at front of house and watch every minute that I could.  Their crew, staff and the artists themselves were a class act.  We had no problems throughout the day and everyone was in a chipper mood.  The tour manager greeted me that morning with a hug.  You can't beat that!!  If I were to tour with an act...this would be the one.  Jennifer and Christian were running around all day.  Christian watched the demolition derby we had on the track that day. 

Jeff Dunham has it figured out...they arrived by private plane at 5:30, an hour before doors opened.  They did a 30minute soundcheck and unloaded the 5 "cases" aka characters.  We figured the stagehands that day were the highest paid ever at $26.00/MINUTE :)  His show was halarious as always!  However, he substituted his encore character, Bubba J with a new one, Diane.  He and 'Diane' are in the new movie 'Dinner with the Schmucks'.  She's not nearly as funny as Bubba J. :(

Keith---Well Keith will always be my favorite, even though by the time the show rolled around I had dealt with so many issues I was exhausted and didn't even care to watch the show. 

REO Speedwagon day was filled with drama and went OK until the end of the night.  Great show, but I can do without the divaism. (my new word (= )

Shinedown was a beast of its own.  These guys are always great to work with.  While success has lead to some preverable body parts exploding most of them are still great.  We dealt with some contractual issues between several of our fairs which made the experience up until the day show a  little rough.  The day of, they were fantastic and everyone played nicely. 

Weather for the fair was absolutely brutal!  For the first 2-3 days it was 110 heat index.  The humidty was ridiculous.  We had some storms on Tuesday with REO which led to some relief in the heat...only a day or so and then it was back to the heat again.  There were several storms that threatened us throughout the 11 days but fortunately there were no severe storms.  Two of our other fairs, Missouri State and Illinois State were not so lucky.  Unfortunately, they each lost two shows.  They happened to be their largest shows, Shinedown (MO) and Lady Antebellum (IL).  Then each of them had to stop and cancel one other show each; Darius Rucker (MO) and Blondie/Cheap Trick (IL).  While we had great producers on those shows and they handled everything well, I sure felt sorry for them and blessed for what we had (or didn't).

I couldn't have a better staff to work with at this fair.  From the caterers, runners, security, matinenance, marketing, ticketing, sound/lights, video, an fantastic Fair Manager, and anyone else that works in the web we weave, I can't thank them enough!  With their glowing personalities, drive to give their all, and just plain dedication and pleasure to be working at the fair...it truly made the 11 Days, Non-Stop Fun!

The fair overall did well in this tough economy.  Considering the weather, natural disaster, schools starting they still had over 968,000 people there! 
I have arrived safely in New York...which I'm writing this from my pillowtop bed, large suite and bathroom with fluffy towels.  My hotel in Des Moines wasn't as luxurious with a very humid room, mold in the bathroom, scratchy towels, a shower that wouldn't drain and housekeepers that don't like to clean.  I've already "moved in" to my new home for two weeks so tomorrow we'll continue building schedules and reuniting with my east coast friends (Happy Birthday to me (=  ).  I'll try to blog more often on this leg but considering we have two bands each day....I'm not making any promises. =)

Susan G. Komen 3-Day- Spectacular adventure!

Team 'The Pink Warriors'

Well obviously this was a great and busy time considering I only blogged once at the beginning!  I can't miss a chance to share the experience of a lifetime with you.  Here are some photos from opening ceremonies.

Lauren, Me, Lindzey, Kim (Mom took photo)

Mom and I

Names were written on these slips of paper of those that we were walking in memory of

Day 1 (Friday)- As I said in my previous blog opening ceremonies was great!  They got us pumped up at 5:30A in the morning.  I was completely exhausted after not sleeping for almost 24 hours at that point.  We set out on our journey through downtown Cleveland; passing Brown Stadium, Rock and Roll Hall of Fame looking forward to the 22mile walk of the day.  The weather could not have been more perfect at a partly cloudy and low 80's.  After we walked about 2 miles we came to pit stop 1.  At the pit stops they had tents for beverages (you could fill up your bottles with water and Gatorade), food and medical.  We were one of the last to leave opening ceremonies and seemed to stay behind the entire weekend.  Lunch was served right on Lake Erie.  We passed through the beach and park...all beautiful scenery. We crossed large bridges, through the "shady" part of town (that included a billboard advertising paternity tests that could be bought at drugstores...), and eventually into the residential areas.  15.1 miles into the day about after about 8 hours of walking I was completely drained.  My feet, legs my body was fine.  However, I was mentally and emotionally drained.  I was afraid if I continued on I wouldn't make it through the next two days and nearly 47miles.  Fortunately, there are opportunities to jump ahead.  The event provides was are called sweep vans. These vans drive up and down the route watch for those that just can't continue on.  There's no shame taking on of these, especially if you need to pace yourself and not burn out on the first day!  A big part of the weekend is pin collecting.  Each van had a different theme; Bippty Boppity Boob, Boob Marley, a bowling theme, We'll Sweep you out of the gutter. =)  In turn each van had a pin with their theme and the event name. They also had SAG buses that were generally used to travel longer distances than the vans like from lunch directly to camp.  I decided at Pit Stop 4 to jump to Pit Stop 5, skipping 5.6miles.  We were air conditioned and most important I completely crashed when I sat down.  I got about a 15min nap and from that point was good to go!  1.3 miles later we arrived at camp.  We were responsible for collecting our luggage and carrying it to the camping area where we set up our own tents.  Luckily we had a little help from crew members in this process.  As we were waiting for Mom and Lauren (yes they  walked the entire 22.0 miles that day!!) I got the tents set up and sat out in the sun napping and of course got my tennis shoes off as soon as possible!  We had a wonderful steak dinner that night.  We got out sleeping areas setup, air mattresses, sleeping bags, etc.  Yes, I can camp outside but I'm still a little spoiled. =)  They had the great sponsor tents setup, Bank of America (Had free massages), AT&T (had phone chargers), New Balance (sold discounted items), Energizer (had phone chargers that you could take back to your tent and an internet cafe) and a Shop Komen store (branded items for sell).  After perusing through these we hit the showers.  It was so humid and hot that showering prior to 830 didn't do any good.  The showers were trailers that were brought in, individual stalls, good pressure and hot/cold water, hardly any wait.  Restrooms of course were porta potties.  Fortunately, because of my line of work I'm used to the porta potties and the showers were just a reminder of how glad I'm not in a college dorm any more.  Once the sun set, about 9:30, we were already in bed.  What a long day but completely uplifting to see all of those involved.

Downtown Cleveland

Day 1- Route 22.0 Miles  Completed 16.8 miles

Mom and Lauren crossing bridge

The greatest sign in the world!

Day 2 (Saturday)- We planned to wake up at 5AM, eat breakfast (which was a hot breakfast of sausage, eggs, danishes, muffins, YUM), get changed and hit the route.  Fortunately, we got to leave our tent up and everything inside since we'd be returning to the same spot.  One of the amazing parts of this event is the out pouring of support from the community.  We had folks out there every day cheering us on, pushing us toward the finish line.  The Hug Lady was at the start and end of the route every day.  She hugged each person!!  Three gentlemen that I named The Three Amigos were at the start and finish everyday and would appear throughout the route everyday.  Jerry, a Komen celebrity =) had lost his voice by the end of the weekend from his constant joy and cheering us on in various locations.  The Kid Crew followed us around town in their van playing music to break up the silence. 

Pink Warriors and Miss Hootie

Jerry and Me

Pink Warriors and The Hug Lady

The crew and volunteers were absolutely amazing.  They were there every step of the way making sure we were safe by crossing streets, bandaging our blisters, serving food and drinks, and so much more.  The safety crew was themed as pirates where pink tutus to boot.  Each pit stop had a theme; Hooterville including an owl mascot, Beach theme, Cat in the Hat, and more.  Once we arrived at lunch (10.8 miles into the 2nd day) we were all hurting.  Blisters and exhaustion had set in.  Lauren was facing a knee issue and Kim at the time was having some terrible knee pain.  Kim ended up being diagnosed with achilles tendinitis, the most painful thing you can have in a sport like this.  Two of us decided the best move was to SAG back to camp.  The rest decided to take a van from lunch to the next pit stop (3 miles away).  Please note this is the only time my Mom got in a van.  She walked the remaining 57 miles!!  Once walking another 3 miles I decided to take a sweep van to the next pit stop and walk into camp.  Josh was performing at camp that night and I knew if I walked all the way through I wouldn't get there until dark.  Lol.  I walked the remaining 1.2 miles back into camp.  The Kid Crew left us a special message on the sidewalk heading in to camp the second day.  "Our Dad thinks you are super heros.  But we think you are pink angels sent from heaven by our Mom's friend Natalie.  She would be so proud!"  We were all crying as we reached the end that day. Candy put on an awesome show for the campers and had everyone pumped up for the last day.  After the show, Josh and I visited the remembrance tent.  This tent is setup at each event and inside features photos and stories of walkers that have passed.  The unbelievable thing was it was people that had died less than year before.  One was my age.  This is what the walk is all about.  The power of this tent is to prove that each walker is walking for or in memory or someone or like me, so this event, that tent does not have to exist.  That everyone deserves a lifetime.  There were 15 white camping tents.  Each tent represented each walk city.  The walkers at those respective cities sign the tent for their city.  It's basically a traveling memorial and extremely inspiring.

Day 2- Route 21.3miles  Completed  15miles








Day 3 (Sunday)-

This was the final day!  While I was ready to be home, I was also extremely excited to complete this and pushed myself to walk every inch of every mile this day.  We had to repack our bags, fold up our tents and be ready to roll.  We hit the route the same as the day before but something was different.  I was clear headed, determined and by myself.  Unfortunately, the rest of the teammates had different paces as me.  Two were always ahead of me and two were behind me.  It made the first two days rough because I easily got bored and thought about my aches and pains.  However, the third day I was meeting folks and chatting with others about their experiences.  I was talking with one lady that was walking with her sister.  I had already noticed her as she had each shin wrapped with a bandage and ice.  Her sister told me that she refused to stop but had been diagnosed with shin splints.  As I past her I told she was doing a good job and to keep pushing...she was bawling she was in such pain.  She had completed the 21.3 miles the day before like this.  I knew if someone was "crazy" enough to do this I surely could bare through the pain of a few blisters.  And then I remembered the reason I was there.  What I was going through was nothing compared to what a person facing cancer has to go through.  By lunch time it was more painful to stop and start than to keep walking.  I had a blister between two toes and few on the bottom of each toe and the most painful was a quarter sized blister on the outside of one heel.  I had worked through the pain until lunch (12.2 miles into the day) when I went to put my shoes back on and the blister popped.  I was being pushed to head to the next stop but there was no way I could move.  It felt like someone had poured acid on my foot.  I ran (well not really, more like hobbled in agony) to the medical tent.  They bandaged me up and I knew I just need to get a few steps in to make it go numb and continue.  Each step was a triumph.  Each stop was another step closer.  This day could not have been better because of the support of the community.  There was someone either in their front yard or outside a business every 2-3 miles.  They had candy, cookies, popsicles, waters, etc. One even had tiny cups of beer!

As we neared closing ceremonies I think we were all getting a little delirious.  We got to the point we couldn't even follow the directional signs! =)

As soon as we saw the sign below I think the neighbors could even hear our sigh of relief!

Proof of walking for 3 Days!

As we crossed the finish line many walkers and crew were lined up to give high fives as we crossed the line.  Of course they were playing one of my favorite songs: Cupid Shuffle!  Lindzey and I were dancing across the line.  It was amazing how our feet could still move and the energy we had after walking 15.8 miles in one day! The next half hour or so was a blur. We we herded into a huge line preparing for closing ceremonies.  For this being our first time we had no clue what to expect.  We lined up, and marched into the fairgrounds.  Hundreds of friends and family members were there cheering, crying, giving high fives.  We saw each of the folks that were there everyday cheering us on, The Kids Club, The Three Amigos, Hug Lady and Jerry!  The entire group of walkers (about 1,000) chanted Jerry, Jerry, Jerry.  It made me tear up seeing his face light up.  We moved on into the ceremony location where we circled around the flagpole and survivors stand that was present at opening.  After a few words from a Komen representative the survivors were brought in.  As the ladies and men began their walk in, each walker raised one tennis shoe, appropriately called the 'Sole Salute'.

  I have never seen ANYTHING more inspiring.  This represented the entire event and the fight for a cure.  We wrapped up with select survivors presented the flags and the flag that says it all was ran up the pole 'A World Without Breast Cancer'.  There was not a dry eye in the house and it's what is an inspiration to carry on the good work of the organization and this event.

Day 3 Route 15.8  Completed 15.8!!!!

After a hilarious battle for a cab and a 20mile journey back to the hotel we were on the road back to Louisville.  Six hours later we pulled up to my apartment and I couldn't have been happier to see indoor plumbing!  The entire weekend was racing though my mind and I was tired...this was at 1AM.  I had already decided to work from home the next since my feet were pretty much numb.  I woke up the next morning with the two blisters still extremely painful.  After keeping my feet propped up and soaking them for the past two days I'm about 75% recovered.  I can't thank my supporters.  Those that donated, texted and sent encouraging messages were what got me through the 47.6 miles I walked in 3 days.  I could not have made it through those days without each of you.  More importantly the $2,444 I raised was a small part of the $2.4 MILLION the Cleveland walk raised.  With the advances we have today and events as special and successful as this there will be a cure before we know it.  I've thought deeply about next year and while I haven't made a decision I know I have to be involved.  My thoughts are learning toward crewing.  These folks are what made the weekend what it was.  All in all I know this a lifetime opportunity and I hope there's not a need for me next year because there will be a cure.

2011 3-Day to be determined. Any suggestions?  =)

We've made it! After an 8hr trip, three major cities and rush hour traffic we arrived in Cleveland last night around 9pm. After a "quick" dinner and checking into the hotel we napped for 4hrs before rising for breakfast and to catch the shuttle. We're now at opening ceremonies where they have the parking lot at Brown Stadium celebrating the chance of finding a cure. We just took the first step of 120,000 among over 1,000 other women and men. We'll have plenty of pictures to share when we get home. We're already looking forward to the tents, showers and fun waiting for us at the end of the day and today's 20 miles.
Sara Shelton
Triangle Talent, Inc
502-267-5466

Sent via BlackBerry

Susan G. Komen for the Cure!

In less than 24 hours team 'Pink Warriors' will be heading to Cleveland, OH to participate in the journey of a lifetime! Four members are from Owensboro, KY; my Mom, Lisa, sister-in-law, Lauren, Aunt, Kim and cousin Lindzey; and myself from Louisville, KY. You may ask why Cleveland? Well there are only 15 of these selective events. Cleveland just so happened to fit right in my schedule. Chicago was the closest and it is the week prior to me leaving for the road for two months. I figured I better see how this goes before taking that risk. :) I'll be blogging from the 60 Miles we will be walking as well as tweeting.

You can view my tweets at twitter.com/sarajosunshine

Can't wait to share this journey with everyone! Thanks to everyone that donated and has supported this great cause!
Sara Shelton
Triangle Talent, Inc
502-267-5466

Sent via BlackBerry

Life is a Highway- Rascal Flatts in Dallas

I was recently in Dallas, TX (actually a suburb called Frisco) for a show at the FC Soccer Stadium Pizza Hut Park.  This 20,000+ seated stadium was absolutely gorgeous and couldn't have been a better venue for an outdoor show with the Flatts themselves.  Although Mother Nature sure tried to make us worker even harder.  In the middle of the day they measured the temp on the field---115 degrees!  We kicked off the morning at 6:30A with buses and trucks rolling in.  We did a quick walk through of the venue and talked about some last minute issues that had to be sorted out.  Everything throughout the day rolled along smoothly and really couldn't have gone any better.  For this one I was so terrified that I knew I just needed to let it go and do my thing.  Walking into a new venue can be extremely daunting..but working with this band has had it's horror stories.  So I was ready for a double whammy.  The venue was fantastic to work with, totally organized and have a good feeling we'll (or I should I (:  ) will be back soon.  The band's production manager was phenomenal which made the day go so well.

Loading in equipment to the stage

The funniest story of the day all revolved around one item:  a baby pool.  The production manager came in telling me a story of how a baby pool appeared at their show the night before.  They expected for it to be loaded into a packed truck with the water still in it.  There was no room in the trailer so he just left it there.  We joked and laughed about for a few minutes and then magically a couple of hours later one of those big, blue plastic pools showed up right outside the production office.  The manager asked me if there was a hose they could use to fill it up.  I had to disconnect the hose from where the caterers were washing dishes and therefor the pool needs to be filled right away.  These guys were busy arguing over more important things, like where the band was going to play basketball.  So I filled the pool up.  Keep in mind it's 115 degrees outside and I'm dragging a 100ft black, industrial, dirty hose from one spot to the next to avoid having to drag a filled pool instead.  Turns out that the pool is for Joe Don's (one of the RF members) baby.  Over the next few hours everyone passes by that pool..at this point I'm convinced someone's going to end up jumping in.  But alas, no one ever used the pool...not even the baby.  The frustration of the baby pool continued. The things we do for entertainers!

The show went one with just a few glitches...of course things no one in the audience would know.  We had some big gaps in the seating on the floor.  Instead of having the guys looking out and seeing the open spots we moved folks from the back of the floor up to fill in those seats.  The spotlights that were ordered were not strong enough to make the throw from their location to the stage.  They were pretty much useless but they worked the lights on the stage so you could still see them from afar.

2.5 hour load out and tear down of chairs...amazing!

After the show, we got the payments settled and I was about to crash!  I was starving because I hadn't gotten to eat dinner so I went rummaging through the production office.  They had left over Whataburger (yay!) and cotton candy.  What a healthy dinner!  I was in the dressing room area talking with security when Gary (the lead singer) came out and nearly attacked me to get to the cotton candy.  Needless to say he won that fight. Finally after every person on the tour (about 100 folks) had their shower the bus started rolling out.  You know it's almost over when you see this....

After a 22hour day...I could not have been happier to get back to the hotel and take a shower. =)
Hope to be back in Frisco soon and working with the fine folks of Pizza Hut Park!

This is one of my favorite signs in Texas

American journey/Birth of the Nook

As usual on travel days (that are earlier than I ever get up!) I oversleep. The saving graces of this are 1) I live in Louisville where you never have a problem getting into the airport and 2) I was flying American which always boards late, leave late and arrives late.  I managed to pack for 3 days in a carry on and my business tote.  For those of you that know me well, you know that this is a challenge.  I figured it was worth saving the outrageous baggage fees and my sanity of having to squeeze a massive rolling bag into that tiny compartment.  For some reason my upper body strength disappears when I'm lifting a 25lb suitcase over my head. 

American is by far my least favorite airline (hence the comment above).  I've never had good luck with them.  But this morning I had to double check and make sure I wasn't on Southwest (my favorite airline).  We left on time and even arrived 20mins early! 
And this brings me to the second half of the title: Birth of the Nook.
In my travels last year I had about 4 weeks that I was out, had a few days at home and then back on the road for another 3.5wks.  In this time I read six books.  I collect hardback books for those authors I love, James Patterson, Iris Johansen, Mary Higgins Clark..plus others.  I packed about 3 books for the first leg and had them finished in no time.  I ended up leaving them with Josh in Branson and buying paperbacks of ones I had at home.  Since I won't be coming home for those few days and won't have the luxury of leaving them with Josh I had to come up with a different plan.  It was either that or pack a seperate suitcase just for books!  HA!  I decided to face the fears and go electronic.  I like the feel of the book in my hands and I was worried about not having that.  I purchased a Nook a few weeks ago and was totally excited to use it on this first trip.  I hadn't thought about it until last night but I realized that I can't have it on for the first part of the flight!  DUH "Anything with an on/off switch but be switched the off position"  This part was not fun.  I had to listen to the in flight instructions for the first time since I was 12.  But once I could turn it on it was awesome!  It's going to save so much space this summer.

I got to Dallas by 8:30CST...whew!  Picked up the rental car which was a different experience.  DFW is HUGE!  At Alamo they have all the cars sorted by type; compact, mid-size, etc.  You walk to that area and pick out the car you want.  It was like shopping!  LOL  I was about to keep it in the family and choose the Avenger but decided to go with the newer model of the Sebring.  When I was car shopping just 3years ago I was going to purchase this in convertible...but they weren't released until 4 months later.  So I thought I'd see what it's like.  Glad I chose the Charger!  It's a nice car but when I was having to get speed to get out in front of all these crazy drivers down her she just didn't have the get up and go mine does. 

I had a great visit and walk through at the venue for tomorrow.  It's 20,000+ seat professional soccer stadium, Pizza Hut Park.  We'll have 15,000+ coming in for the show tomorrow.  From what it seems the venue, crew and staff run well.  Which mean tomorrow will hopefully be an easy day!! 

But since it starts at 7:00A I better head to bed now. =)

Thinking of all my friends and co-workers back home in Hullabalou (wishing I was watching Bon Jovi right now!) and the fine folks that kicked off the Susan G. Komen 3-Day events in Boston today!!

"Sara Does Dallas"

Well this weekend has been coined, "Sara does Dallas".  While I'm sad I'll be missing all of the fun of Hullabalou, I'm off to begin my Mud and Dust Tour of 2010.  Hullabalou is a 64 band music festival that will take place this weekend at Churchill Downs.  Every other Triangle employee will be working and sweating their rears off at this event!  The second sentence is pretty much sarcasm...(:  I was assigned to head to Dallas (Frisco area technically) to produce a Rascal Flatts show.  This will be our first (of hopefully many) show at this venue, Pizza Hut Park, a professional soccer stadium.  I'm looking forward to working with the Flatts tour which also includes Chris Young, Jon Rich and Kellie Pickler.  Hopefully Mother Nature will decide on the exact opposite of the forecasts...100 degrees is HOT no matter what part of the country you're in!

July 4th Weekend

Happy belated 4th of July!  For this glorious holiday of partaking in adult beverages and stuff that blows up, I took the opportunity to make some extra moolah.  While it's not all bad..I don't get to drink liquor but I normally indulge in regular Cokes--which doesn't happen too often and I get to hang with the stars...or at least chauffer them around town.  I got to take the back seat on this one which was the  Louisville Waterfront Development's Independence Day Celebration on the Waterfront.  Featuring John Rich (of Big and Rich) on the 3rd and Arrested Development and Michael Franti & Spearhead on the 4th.  We had great crowds for both nights and things ran pleasently smooth....
1) John Rich decided 45mins before show time that he HAD to have a specific kind of wine.  Caymus Cab.  Now we're in the middle of downtown...surrounded by ghetto liquor stores and he wants three bottles of this stuff which are $68 a piece!  A quick phone call, short 20min drive each way, and the delivery is a success.
2) Michael Franti and crew are supposed to arrive by plane at 4:00PM Sunday the 4th for an 8:45P performance.  Their flight out of Omaha is cancelled so they don't arrive until 7:00P!  Talk about cutting it close!!  Things worked perfectly and we got them to the venue in plenty of time for the band members scarf some food and Michael and hottie guitar player to do some yoga. =)
3)  It's time for the fireworks to go off...They were to be timed perfectly with the last song of the night..."Say Hey, I Love You"  Youtube it, it's a really good tune.  He's got all the little kiddies up on the stage, the coordinator is talking with the barge from where the fireworks are shot off of....and nothing is happening.  Everyone is screaming in the cell phones and at each other, trying to talk over the music...and the only song that I knew.  Finally the big booms start up.  Turns out...a barge had been let through the locks.  Therefore, the fireworks barge couldn't shoot until it passed.  If you've ever watched one of those things you know it's like a snail in a race. 

These are just a few of the highlights of the weekend.  Things that people on the other side of the stage took place.  Things that could have ruined 50,000 folks 4th of July but due to the professionalism of those at back of house....the show went on!

The Rush of a lifetime!

Some of you may have a bucket list.  If you don't, it's time to draft one.  I've done some crazy stuff in my short lifetime...parasailing, scuba diving, yes, even riding a pick up truck like a bull.  But never did I think I would jump out of a perfectly good plane!  Well two weeks ago, I did and I'm ready to do it again!  Mom, Lauren (sister-in-law) and Seth (baby brother) all headed to Skydive Kentucky in Elizabethtown.  Everyone was pumped but as the time neared I started getting a little freaked.  We started out by signing our lives away.  Literally you had to sign saying you know you could die from it.  Then a short training, going over all the steps and then a really long wait as we waited for a plane to be available.  We decided to have photos and videos taken so that meant most of us had to go on our own or with strangers.  As time went by I felt fine.  Then it was my turn....and they took Seth.  The day was an emotional rollercoaster.  By the time I actually got suited up I had been up and down three different times and was honestly just exhausted!  They got me in the harness.  My instructor suited up with what we hoped was a good parachute.  There were seven people shoved in this tiny little plane that didn't have a door...yes, it was completely open one side.  I'm terribly scared of planes as they are taking off.  Once they level off I'm fine.  You'll find me even on a commercial flight focusing on my breathing and bury myself in a book.  So at this time I had my head buried in my knees and breathing like I was in labor.  Had to have been a great laugh for the instructors.  Once we leveled off I was fine and was able to look out off the beautiful scenery of Kentucky.  I knew there was a reason I love this state.  We continue to climb in altitude, making it to 7,500 ft.  Then one of the folks starts moving around and resituating.  They had told me he was a student and was going to dive on his own.  That was all fine and dandy until they said GO! and the kid jumped from the plane and it sounded like he was being sucked down a massive toilet bowl.  Then I started to REALLY freak out.  The instructor got me calmed down and started to hook us up.  Yes, I put my life in the hands of a perfect stranger. =)  When we started to reach 10,000ft Larry (my instructor) had me move to the edge of that open door.  The photographer at this point is literally hanging off the side of the plane, kinda like Spiderman.  As Larry is sitting on the edge of the plane, I'm (yep you guessed it) hanging off of him and over the side of the plane.  Arching my legs back under the plane and crossing my arms across my body (at this point I didn't know whether to scream or puke).  At this point I don't remember what happened! LOL  But he pushed both of us out and we freefalling into the air.  My eyes were closed, apparently we flipped and then I remembered OH YEAH, I have to look at the photographer (who had then jumped as well).  We are freefalling at 170MPH for nearly 15seconds.  Larry send up a tiny parachute that slows us down to 150MPH.  As we near 5,500ft Larry points for me to watch my altimeter (the wristwatch that tells you how many feet you are above the ground).  I reach back to grab the ripcord.  500Ft later I pull the cord all by myself and we shoot back and up into the air.  I must say this produced the funniest picture!  Success!!!  He picked a good pack. :)  Then as we are both acting as if we're birds, flying at 5,000ft above the ground we glide back towards the DZ (dropzone).  The next task was the landing.  While we have slowed down quite a bit we were still getting some air.  We near the ground, I lift up my legs and Larry hits the ground with his legs and brings us almost to a stop.  Somehow when I put my legs down to stand up we end up rolling over the top of each other and totally tangling the parachutes.  I don't think they like to do that. =(  While I was completely pertrifide by the time we got up there and it was time to seal the deal, it was an experience of a timetime.  So for those of you that have any desire, DO IT!  Think you can't because you hate planes, are afraid of heights, don't want to trust anyone else, DO IT!  I can prove anyone wrong on each of those details.  Now that I know what it takes and what happens I'm ready to go again.  It is totally INSANE! 

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2378308&id=20702564&l=8c7fefe296-  Link to photos on Facebook

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Sara Shelton
Triangle Talent, Inc
502-267-5466

Sent via BlackBerry

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Sara Shelton
Triangle Talent, Inc
502-267-5466

Sent via BlackBerry

Derby Weekend!!

Well this is a little after the fact but thought some of you may be interested. I was officially checked out for Derby! =) Normally, I'm at home sleeping because we've work for a week and half straight at the Derby Festival. This year I had an event in Chillicothe, OH with the Simon Kenton Council of Central Ohio Boy Scouts. They were celebrating their 100th Anniversary! And it was a great time! There were over 7,000 folks in attendance. They camped out all weekend and long, and yes, stuck it out through the crappy, rainy weather. Fortunately, there was never any severe weather! My responsibilities included coordinating basically anything that took place on the central stage. We brought in a 40x40 stage and planted it right in the demo derby track of the Ross County Fairgrounds. Setup was Thursday and Friday and we were ready to roll for opening ceremonies Saturday morning at 9:00AM. The ceremony went off wonderfully including the local high school marching band playing the national anthem as a paratrooper falls from the sky with the flag and lands just as the band finishes. Crazy timing! Then for the fun part....the rain. It came and it went, fortuntately while we had a break and were at IHOP. But then we got back to the stage to find it was now sitting in a mud pit. Slimy, Sticky, Gooky mud. Definitely made for a fun time! We had to either go barefoot on the stage or switch shoes from muddy to clean to be able to come aboard. LOL With this we had to reorganize how the band would be loading in and where to park the bus. Thankfully we working with a great band: The Eli Young Band. Option 1: Didn't work; bus got stuck twice...lucky we got them back out both times. Option 2: Pull the trailer up with a pickup and park the bus all the way on the other side of the track. Everyone really pulled together and worked to get the job done. The clouds parted right before show time and we even had a little sun! Closing ceremonies went off without a hitch and the band got started. Probably the funniest story of the weekend: I had gone around front to the grandstand to check on the merch guy. I get a text from the client asking "Can they make an announcement if this gets out of hand?". I had no clue what he was talking about. It all look fine when I left. Then I peek back outside....Over a third of the crowd was crowded up at the front of the stage...reaching for the band and their picks and there's 4-5 Boy Scouts staff in the pit and mud trying to keep them calm and from coming over the guardrail. I couldn't help but chuckle! Other than the fact that there were some little ones getting squished they were having fun and that's what mattered. The bass player said it best when he came off the stage. He told me that he was worried when everyone was sitting still and in their seats...but when they got up and came to the stage that's when the fun began. They were being kids...the way they should be, he said. I got to speak with several of them while they were waiting in the hour and half line for autographs about their weekend. That's what was best about my time there.
Unfortunately, the next day was teardown day and in the rain. The production crew was busting it to try and get things packed up and out of there as quickly as possible, knowing they would have to come back a few days later to get their trucks and stage that were stuck in the mud!
I finally got home (the first time I'd been home, besides sleeping in about two weeks) and slept the rest of the day! What a great experience, a few learning curves along the way, and I think I still got to experience the muddy infield even in Ohio! =)

Blog time!

Some of you followed me around the country last summer as I had my first Dust and Dirt Tour.  I've switched to a new blogging site and look forward to sharing with you the travels, tribulations and fantastic experiences with the fairs, artists, and crew that I have the pleasure of working with.  This year I'm going to be expanding this to include some more personal trips/experiences including my time training and partcipation in the Susan G. Komen Cleveland 3-Day event.  Please feel free to leave messages and let me know if there's anything specific you're wanting to know about!