Wednesday, March 2, 2011
First leg of Triple Crown of Running COMPLETE!
So 1/3 of my goal of completing the Triple Crown of Running is complete! My friend Erin and I set out at 7:30AM Saturday Feb 28th for a brisk walk at the Anthem 5K. LOL As I've said before we had no intentions of coming in first. The course ended up having to be re-routed due to some flooding on a few of the low lying streets. It was still a great route and was a well put together race. We ended up finishing in 50:41 and in 8155 place. There were still about 2,000 people behind me =) Can't wait until next weekend for the Rodes City Run 10K!
Monday, February 14, 2011
Run, Forest, Run!
So it's a new year, the snow is finally melted and cold tempratures are beginning to depart. That means...race time! However, I've been making these plans since I finished the Monumental Half-Marathon back in November. In 2010 I completed an event that included 60Miles (roughly 45 for me) in 3 days, a 10K race, and a half-marathon through downtown Indianapolis (Monumental Half). So I got to thinking--how do I top THAT in 2011? Well, here it is--
Feb 26th- Anthem 5K- Louisville, KY (3.2miles)
March 12th- Rodes City Run 10K- Louisville, KY (6.2miles)
March 26th- Papa John's 10 Miler- Louisville, KY
April 30th- Derby Festival Mini-Marathon- Louisville KY (13.2miles)
October 20th-23rd- will be CREWING the Komen-3Day Atlanta
November 5th- Monumental Half- Marathon
I've been getting all my new gear together to prepare for the cold runs and even picked up a cool little gadget- a training watch. Don't get me wrong...I still hate to run. LOL so I'll once again just be doing these to do them..not focusing on setting a record pace or anything like that.
I'm so excited for these events to start and I'm not even going to think about what I'm going to do in '12 to make it even better. =)
Feb 26th- Anthem 5K- Louisville, KY (3.2miles)
March 12th- Rodes City Run 10K- Louisville, KY (6.2miles)
March 26th- Papa John's 10 Miler- Louisville, KY
April 30th- Derby Festival Mini-Marathon- Louisville KY (13.2miles)
October 20th-23rd- will be CREWING the Komen-3Day Atlanta
November 5th- Monumental Half- Marathon
I've been getting all my new gear together to prepare for the cold runs and even picked up a cool little gadget- a training watch. Don't get me wrong...I still hate to run. LOL so I'll once again just be doing these to do them..not focusing on setting a record pace or anything like that.
I'm so excited for these events to start and I'm not even going to think about what I'm going to do in '12 to make it even better. =)
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
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.
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.
Wednesday, September 15, 2010
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. =)
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. =)
Thursday, September 9, 2010
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
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!
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!
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
'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. =)
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. =)
Thursday, August 5, 2010
Susan G. Komen 3-Day- Spectacular adventure!
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| 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.
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| Lauren, Me, Lindzey, Kim (Mom took photo) |
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| Mom and I |
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| Names were written on these slips of paper of those that we were walking in memory of |
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| Downtown Cleveland |
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| Mom and Lauren crossing bridge |
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| 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.
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| Pink Warriors and Miss Hootie |
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| Jerry and Me |
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| 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 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!
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| Proof of walking for 3 Days! |
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? =)
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