Photo of the Day

"Resolved: that these united colonies are (and of a right ought to be)
free and independent states, that they are absolved
from all allegiance to the British Crown,
and that all political connection between them and the state of Great Britain
is (and ought to be) totally dissolved!"

- Richard Henry Lee (played by Mike Hogewood) presents
Virginia's resolution for independence to the Continental Congress
in a scene from the award-winning musical 1776

Behind the Scenes - Part 2 - Where are the Portajohns?

When you think of Fun 4th Street Festival, I'm sure you think of the great bands, delicious food, exciting rides -- basically all the things that make you want to come to a festival. That is, of course, what we want you to think about. We don't want you to have to think about whether or not 15 minutes is enough time to change bands or whether or not that food you're eating or that ride you just put your child on is safe -- so we spend the greater part of the year worrying about that for you.

Those are the big picture things we spend a lot of time on here at Grassroots, but what we've discovered is that it is the little details that make or break a festival -- and frequently the ones that come back to bite you in the you know what. Back in 2007-2008, when we were planning the logistics for the 5 Bicentennial events -- a huge undertaking -- we became so afraid that some small, but critical detail would be overlooked, that we created a catch-phrase. I posted this phrase on my wall of Things I Need To Remember, during the Bicentennial, and it has remained there ever since, reminding us that the devil really is in the details.

Yes, you guessed it already, the phrase is "Where are the portajohns?" It's a detail that can easily be eclipsed by the big picture, but boy are we going to hear about it if we forget them. And sometimes, even if we don't forget to order them, we are held hostage by the delivery man. One year, when we were still doing Heritage Day at Blandwood as part of Fun 4th, despite the fact that we had provided a detailed map to the delivery person, the portajohns were delivered to a spot two blocks away across the very busy spot where Freeman Mill Road dumps into downtown.

So when you come to the festival, and you are dreading that moment when you will actually have to go make use of that hot portajohn, just think how it would be if we had forgotten them -- and all the other critical details that make for a seamless festival experience.

Behind the Scenes Photo of the Day: My Wall of Things I Need to Remember.

The Well Oiled Machine

"Organized chaos." The constant refrain of the Grassroots office. These seem to be the only words that can be used by the staff to describe the mad dash towards, and through the Fun Fourth Festival. And these words are seemingly true. I mean, if you spend a mere five minutes with these women you may only be able to see chaos. Peggy, who will go into a bloodthirsty rage if someone sits in her chair (probably stemming from childhood issues when a neighbor girl shamefully dethroned her at a tea party), Brenda, a woman whose fascination with the paper cutter and it's "friends" is something you would expect from a schizophrenic, and Robin, who forces the delivery of chocolate macaroons to her desk with veiled threats of beatings and starvation. Truly the "chaos" seems to be the highlight of the inner workings of the festival. But I completely disagree with that.

I wholeheartedly, and with no cash incentive...
(Oh wait...I am getting paid)

....

I wholeheartedly, and with no emotional connection to the festival...
(Oh wait...Peggy is my mother)

....

I wholeheartedly, and scientifically...
(You're not a scientist)
(Shut up parenthesizes)
(I just want the public to know the facts)
(Well you're not helping)
(Not trying to help)

I believe that the Fun Fourth Festival (at least on the technical side) is anything but "chaos."
Today, I sat down for lunch with these three women and asked what else needed to be done before the festival began.
"What big things can I do?"
"Let's get ahead of schedule."
Little did I know, there was actually very little for me to do. This was due to the fact that so many different organizations were contributing to the set up and execution of his festival. One group was bringing tables, one was bringing tents, one was delivering the food, and on and on. The big picture was being built by many separate factions coming together to share the load. Everyone could do a little bit less because there were others there to help. Purely "organized."

And that's when I realized, this festival is truly a community experience, enjoyed and created by the people that live here. Organizations, businesses, volunteers, we all come together not only to share, but to create an experience together. The Well Oiled Machine, working in sync, perfectly.

Calm before the Storm

Here it is Monday morning. The office has been quiet for the last two hours as I finish some final paperwork etc. before the day begins. Within the next 45 minutes the storm will unleash.

• The parade committee will meet in order to determine the line-up for all of the parade entries.
• Our crew will come in to start moving and prepping equipment -- on today's list putting together our arrow signs and ticket booths. Loading up our "Units Mobile Storage" with tents, coolers, stools, hoses, extension cords....all of the equipment needed to make the Fourth happen
• Our Interns, Carissa and Stephanie, will be finalizing prizes for Contest Corner and then of course the favorite intern job....cleaning tablecloths.
• Owen & Sandra, our extra helpers this week will be organizing stuff that came back from the race, putting together sponsor kits and all of the other random stuff that is on my list!
• Add in to that the phone that doesn't stop ringing ( there are no more vendor spaces available!!).
• The door bell that keeps going with deliveries and pick-ups and the emails that need to be answered!!
• Welcome to the craziness of Fun Fourth Festival!
  

Zumba Sam

Early in the morning on Saturday, June 26th over 500 walkers and runners came to Downtown Greensboro to participate in the Freedom Run & Walk. Many Thanks to all of the great volunteers and staff that helped put the event together. Race Results are posted here.

Uncle Sam is warming up with the kids for the Tot Trot! Thanks to Dawn Rembisz Lloyd for leading the Zumba warm up for the tots, the adults and Uncle Sam!!

Join us for the other Fun Fourth Festival events you never know what you'll catch Uncle Sam doing!!