Sureena Johl
Every week we highlight the bands, DJs, and local artists that draw thousands of people to Cesar Chavez Plaza but today I’d like to pay tribute to our event staff – the hidden talent of Concerts in the Park. On Fridays we take an average of 31,737 steps and walk 13.43 miles over a 13 hour period – thanks Fitbit for tracking this for me!
The Downtown Sacramento Partnership begins every Friday at 9 am by hauling two of our plastic storage boxes filled with supplies to Cesar Chavez Plaza to meet six of our seasonal employees.
Once our mighty group of six is together and looped in on any special plans (VIP Areas, special sponsorship nights, etc), we head to our Concert storage and spend about forty-five minutes unloading all our supplies. This includes our Michael David Winery wine barrels, barricades, cones, Bud Light tents, Made in the Shade benches, tables, chairs, signage, and our fencing.
Back and forth we go – over and over again. The least favorite task – rolling the wine barrels. Although a crowd favorite, it sure is scary when it rolls back on you.
This season, we switched up our beer lines and needed more stanchions – cue, the orange construction cones at the cashier booth courtesy of our friend Construction Mike. Our goal was to keep the walkway clear – do you like the new beer lines?
Here’s Kevin installing all our Bud Light signage throughout the park. Next task for Kevin, install the signs you see on 9th and J Street and 10th and I Street.
Jiana and I just put up our Bud Light bar tents. Next step, pop up our tables, set up the buckets and ice chests. Then onto the Cashier tent.
Ever wonder what goes into the perimeter fencing of Concerts in the Park? Tons of PVC pipe, deer fencing, and zip ties.
The finished result:
It takes our set up team of 7 roughly 4 hours to set up the park. At 4 pm the park is closed to the public with the help of our Downtown Guides and the remaining CIP employees (about 25 people) arrive to prepare for doors to open.
At 5 pm, we officially open the gates of Cesar Chavez Plaza for Concerts in the Park. Every Friday our DJ starts the party followed by the artists with DJs filling in between sets.
The next time you see a #CIPSAC employee, Downtown Guide, Members in Black Security team, or a Police Officer, be sure to thank them for enduring the heat. Without them, it would be impossible for us to serve over 70,000 people beer over a 12-week period.
Cheers!
Sureena
The 2017 season of Friday Night Concerts in the Park will run May 5, 2017 through July 21st, 2017 at Cesar Chavez Plaza in Downtown Sacramento.
