Yay!…*Ugh*

Musicpalooza is done. It’s over. I could not be happier. This contest has been so amazing, the biggest cash prize the Fairgrounds has ever given out and the biggest cash prize I have ever been a part of.

There are so many people that were part of this contest and helped to make it happen. Our marketing department with Jen, Diane, Talin, Linda, Peggy, and Luis worked hard for many months to get the word out to bands and singers, as well as all the great media coverage. The North County Times has been especially kind to us. Also to the Board of Directors who decided to invest in this contest when the economy is down and to celebrate Music Mania at the 2009 San Diego County Fair. To my boss Cathy who let me just run with a lot of decisions and trust a lot of my experience in contesting from radio promotions days. To the Special Events staff who put up with my demands for the contest and thought I was crazy half the time. Mary, Timmy, Chelsie, Elizabeth, Melanie, Caitie, Ashley, Jo, Jackie, Carol, Rochelle, Sarah, Nicole, Fernando, and Bob all had a hand in helping out here and there with getting judges and hosts to stages, filling out paperwork, and just basically running things while I was backstage losing my nerve.

Seriously – I was a bundle of nerves and was freaking out just as much as our entertainers/competitors yesterday. Traffic was backed up on the 5 yesterday and there was a point that I thought everything was going to fall apart with people running late. You never want to DQ someone for not being on time, but we got real close on two occasions. But thankfully everything worked out at the very last second in some cases. When the winners were handed to me yesterday to take up to Tim Pyles the show host, I literally almost vomited. I was having panic attacks backstage making sure everything was running smooth, and at the moment of truth I almost lost it. We were under such a time crunch on the Grandstand Stage and I wanted to make sure everything went so smoothly. In hindsight you always see were minor mistakes were made and you take notes for “the next time” but everything went off without a hitch and we crowned some great winners.

Tiffany Jane was the soloist winner and The Erick Macek Band won for the bands. I stuck around to watch them both open for Joan Jett & The Blackhearts last night, but exhaustion over took me and I went home before Joan Jett came out to declare her love for Rock N Roll.

Happy 4th of July, hope to see you at the San Diego County Fair today.  I am hosting the last Frozen T-Shirt Contest on the Infield Stage at 1pm and then the last Jalapeno Eating Contest at 4pm at the Plaza De Mexico.

Gonna be a hot one in good ole San Diego today!

Oh and the title of this blog refers to how happy I am, and also how exhausted.

“Here’s to the Army and Navy and the battles they have won; here’s to America’s colors, the colors that never run. May the wings of liberty never lose a feather.”

Countdown to the Grand Finale

Attendance has been great, people are having a blast, the food is excellent – It’s all good…except for the fact that we’re two days away from the end of the Fair.

It’s fun, it’s exciting, and it didn’t hit me how fast time was going by until I was processing the pictures from the final Latino concert we had last Sunday, that I thought, “Oh dear, it’s almost over!”  Who ever said it was right, “time flies when you’re having fun” – especially at here at the Fair.

Even as an employee, we have a blast – just walking around, doing surveys, talking to guests, checking out cute clown band guys (Circle City Sidewalk Stompers) and other performers…but it all ends this Sunday July 5, so if you haven’t made it down to Del Mar yet, make sure you do before Sunday, or you’ll miss out.

It’s Here

Okay, I’m quite done yet with blogging.  Today is the day!  The Musicpalooza Finals are here and I could not be more excited.  This is literally the biggest cash prize the Fairgrounds has ever given away for a contest.  No pressure or anything right? 

The winners of the bands AND singers are both winning $25,000 and opening for Joan Jett tonight on the Grandstand. 

And that’s not all.  2^nd Place is winning $5,000 and 3^rd Place is winning $2,000.  Both of those prizes are bigger then the grand prize from our Battle of the Bands and our Superstar contests last year.  Plus my assistant Mary has gotten some great prizes like Taylor Guitars, recording time, and more for all the contests AND a panel of judges that are second to none and have REAL music industry experience and can potentially help these fantastic entertainers in their careers.  So everyone involved in this contest is going to walk away with something.  Tim Pyles from FM 94.9 and the Casbah will be our host again, and he does such a great job.  Tim Kellogg will be on hand taking photos once again as well.  Much thanks to my Tims for helping out.

I still have not had a chance to see Transformers 2 yet.  It’s driving me crazy and tomorrow is the 4^th of July!  *Sigh*

Also tomorrow is the last Frozen T-Shirt and the last Jalapeno Eating Contest for 2009.  So come on out for some fun in the sun on the 4^th of July at the San Diego County Fair.

Pride

Why is it we play the National Anthem at Opening Ceremonies of ball games and even at the San Diego County Fair? Because we are honoring those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom and our way of life. My friend Justin O’Donohoe gave his life fighting in Afghanistan a few years ago, and whenever I hear the National Anthem I remember the sacrifice he made fighting for what he believes in. This morning at Opening Ceremonies we experienced something a little different for the National Anthem. A string trio was brought in by our very own Timmy in Special Events to perform the National Anthem instead of a singer like we normally have. There is something about hearing people sing, especially really good singers, that really stir the national pride, but this string arrangement was something else. The power in the notes that you could feel as they played their violins and other instruments was something physical that you felt more then heard. Seeing the flag raise and listening to them this morning was something really memorable. With the 4th of July weekend basically being upon us with many people taking Thursday and Friday off I remember my friend I lost and have pride in our Nation. We may be down, but you know that we are not out. And somewhere along the way we will look back on the struggle and realize that it has made us stronger.

On to something else of fun. I got quoted talking about the Frozen T-shirts contest the other day in the North County Times. Great article from Wednesday’s paper, please check it out.  http://tinyurl.com/nu9j8l

 Hosted the second to last Jalapeno Eating Contest on Wednesday on the Paddock Stage and we had a great turnout. Last contest is this weekend on Saturday the 4th. Going to be a great day. We also have Frozen T-shirts again that day and my assistants Chelsie and Elizabeth are freezing T-shirts while I type this…so helpful. Much love to our Marketing Department and KOGO news The Jack Rice Show. I was able to go on the Jack Rice Show Wednesday night and talk about our Musicpalooza contest that wraps up tomorrow on the Heinekin Grandstand Stage.

This may be my last blog for this Fair, and I just wanted to take the time to thank everyone who has stopped by to read my ramblings. This year has been a lot of fun mixed with a lot of frustration. But it’s the struggle that makes us stronger.

It’s About All Things Good

I gotta tell ya, I’ve been taking a little heat from some of my peers because of my BB (bloggin’ bio). They can’t understand how one of my favorite things about the Fair is when it comes to a close. Some say that it is so much fun we should run the Fair year round. NO, no, no, oh contrair. If we did, we would be just like the other attractions in San Diego. You know, the ones you have to go to when friends or family come in from out of town? All great places…but really! How many times can you go on a train ride through a fake African outback, or watch giant jumping fish, or walk around a place made out of plastic bricks?

The Del Mar Fairgrounds is ours. Yours, mine, all that live here year ’round. We need it to transform to the many different things that make the place unique and keep bringing us back throughout the year. It’s a natural progression of all things good. Like a caterpillar turning into a beautiful butterfly. Like the sunrise over majestic mountains on high. Or like anything impaled on a stick and deep fried.

And since we in southern California don’t have the pleasure of drastic seasonal changes (I for one am fine with that), how would we know when summer starts if it weren’t for the yearly opening of the San Diego County Fair? Well, in a couple days, we are going to put the 2009 Fair to bed and the 5,000+ that have worked, entertained, and lived here for the past three weeks, will head off to other fairs, other jobs, home and/or vacations. And I thank each and every one of you for a job well done.

We that stay will transform the place again. This time to another San Diego summer time tradition, horse racing. It usually takes about 10 days to clean it up and put the Fair away. And then on July 22nd, Trevor will announce, “ And away they go”.

So when I say, watching the tail lights of Donny C’s Hot Dog On A Stick stand heading north on I-5 is one of my favorite things about the Fair, it’s not because I don’t like the fair.  It’s because I know we have transformations to make.

Lastly, although the Fair is coming to and end, our fight is not. We need your help with the Governor’s proposal to sell our fairgrounds. Please go to www.SaveTheDMFairgrounds.com and let Sacramento know that we think.

And stop by and say “hey” next time you are out our way. You know you will be. It’s been fun and thanks for reading.

Music Magic

Other than Opening Day, the final week of the Fair is the most fun. Everyone is “in the groove” and the day-to-day operations have become a well-oiled machine, resulting in less stress and more time to enjoy Fair activities and the great people we work with. I don’t know how they did it, but a very special group of Fair employees managed to put together a band to celebrate this year’s music theme.

The Music Maniacs take over the Coors Light Rock-On Stage

“The Music Maniacs” performed yesterday on the Coors Light Rock-On Stage and it was pure magic. Spearheaded by Ean in our Accounting Office, this band included members from just about every department here at the Fairgrounds. They secretly practiced their act in the fourth floor of the Grandstand, away from the prying eyes of their curious co-workers. Their hard work paid off yesterday, as they performed a selection of crowd-pleasing favorites including Johnny B. Goode and Sweet Home Alabama. They had a lot of support in the audience, which was a sea of “red shirts” dancing and clapping along to the music. I was so proud of all of them – Ean, Diane, Rela, Nelly, Elaine, James, Clay, Joe, Oscar, Christian and Ron – and in awe of the level of talent of these people I know as accountants, sound guys, marketers, group sales and electricians!

Today the magic continued as the Circle City Sidewalk Stompers made an impromptu performance in the courtyard of our Marketing and Human Resources office. Shortly before we were heading into our daily staff meeting, this group of brightly-dressed musicians played their hearts out for us! They had Cheri twirling around dancing her buns off while the rest of us clapped along. What a great way to start the day!

The Final Countdown

So yesterday we had our Special Events Potluck.  We had our “tacky” gift exchange and we all brought in food to eat and enjoy each other’s company.  The sad thing is that you realize that we are in the final week of the Fair and your Fair “Family” and you will soon be parting.  Remember going to summer camp and not knowing anyone the first day, but 2 weeks later these are your best friends and you cannot imagine your life without them?  Same thing here, just with cotton candy and funnel cake.

This Friday features our finale to the biggest contest the San Diego County Fair has ever hosted in Musicpalooza.  Five bands and five singers will be performing on the Heinekin Grandstand Stage from 2:00-4:30pm competing for $25,000 and opening for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts later that evening.  I have been talking to some of the bands that are local here in San Diego and I really think that opening up for Joan Jett is a bigger deal then the money at this point.  Not that they don’t want 25K, but do you even know what 25K looks like?  Can you picture it in your mind?  Not really.  But the bands can see themselves on the Grandstand opening up in front a huge crowd at the San Diego County Fair, you know?  So it’s going to be a lot of fun, but of course it’s still days away.

It’s All Relative

One of the great parts of the San Diego County Fair for me is that my cousin Ashley got a job here last year and returned this year as well. It’s awesome because I am 31 and she is 19 so our worlds are so far apart. But in the San Diego County Fair we have something that not only we can relate to, but we get to work together and spend time with family. It’s very much a family affair at the Fairgrounds. Many of the entertainer’s kids eventually get jobs working here as well when they grow up. And the cycle continues now with my family. That makes me feel a little special, I guess.

We wrapped up the Elvis Tribute Contest yesterday afternoon and that was a lot of fun, if a little weird. I say that with the best intentions because the Elvii (is that plural for Elvis??) really spanned the entire Elvis catalog and styles. We also had the final Baby Derby for 2009 with Sam Bass of KyXy 96.5 and it was the most babies we have EVER had race in one day – 25 babies came out for the fun and excitement! I was really pulling for the kid in the striped shirt, but he ended up sitting there and crying the entire race. Cute as it was, I lost money. Joking. 

The Critters

Every summer the Del Mar Fairgrounds brings about 1,800 temporary employees to assist in the planning and execution of San Diego’s largest annual special event, the San Diego County Fair.  Four of these employees are interns in our Marketing Department.  This year, I was lucky enough to be involved in the Marketing Internship program, including participating in the interview and selection of the Final Four.

We whittled through hundreds of resumes and applications, and narrowed our candidates down to a few dozen interviews.  Interview questions included case scenarios, writing samples, and overall education and experience information.   In early April these four interns – Tori, Whitney, Erin and Scott – joined our Marketing Team.  Over the past few months, they have been affectionately coined “The Critters”.

The Critters: Tori, Whitney, Erin & Scott

The Critters are a real asset to the Fairgrounds, performing a plethora of tasks – hauling tents and tables to media broadcast booths, participating in “3 O’Clock Fun” activities in Kiddieland, making presentations at City Council and Chamber meetings, staffing booths at Street Fairs, and the all-important envelope-stuffing.

The Fashion Show for our Enviro Fair is organized completely by the interns.  This year’s event was better than ever.  Whitney contacted numerous eco-friendly fashion outfitters and scripted a fantastic fashion show.  All of the interns participated as models, and the end result was both entertaining and educational.

One of my favorite things about The Critters is their sense of humor.  They’ve started a “wall of sayings” based on funny quotes from the duration of the Fair.  After two weeks of sampling fried food on-a-stick, Whitney exclaimed, “Today I put on my pants and I was like, OH!”  And when assigned the task of assisting 3 O’Clock Fun, Scott asked for contact confirmation by inquiring, “So where do I meet the girl with the Hula Hoop and the rubber chicken?”

It’s not every job where you assist cows down the avenue for opening day media coverage, sample deep fried zucchini weenies, or tour local television stations.  Our Critters have done just about anything and everything with a great attitude, including showing up for work at 3:45 IN THE MORNING to assist with morning media coverage.

Whatever the task, Tori, Whitney, Erin and Scott have performed it with a smile on their face.  This group has been a real asset to not only the Marketing Department, but the entire Fairgrounds.  They are a real delight to have around, and I will miss them once the Fair, our “Summer Camp”, is over.

Mind-Melting Busy

Hello blog readers! Apparently I have people that actually read my blog. That’s pretty cool. Much love to Elite Guard Mary who works out by the Stable Gate near the Arena. She was scanning me in the other morning and recognized me from the Blogging. I thought that was AWESOME!

So it’s been a few days since my last blog, but I have been busy. Like mind-melting I-cannot-see-my-hands-in-front-of-my-face and who-are-you-asking-me-questions busy. Thursday we had the Musicpalooza Bands Semi Finals first thing in the morning. Literally.

We had to start the contest an hour before the Fair actually opened because of time constraints with using the Heinekin Grandstand Stage and The B-52s loading in. It was totally worth it to be on the Grandstand though. All 8 bands were great and they have all been showing tremendous support for each other, the contest, and the Fairgrounds.

It’s just been a real pleasure to be a part of this contest this year. It’s like all the tears, pain, and arguments have been completely worth it. Only 5 bands were able to move on to the Finals: The John Hull Band, Erick Macek, The Riders, Rockchild, and Endoxi. Tim Pyles has been an amazing host for this contest and it’s been great exposure for everyone involved.

So I also really need to show some love to my assistants this year. While I was at Musicpalooza Bands with my assistant Mary, my other two Chelsie and Timmy were setting up the Hip Hop Dance Battle at the Chevrolet Del Mar Arena with Christina from MTV3. Which was awesome, because I was able to wrap up the announcements on the Grandstand and hot foot it over to the Arena for the Hip Hop Dance Battle that was already under way. And what a battle it was.

This year the Hip Hop Dance Battle felt like it was pulling teeth to pull off, but with a great support team and an amazing host in local celebrity Hula it went off without a hitch. I was highly embarrassed that I got so much credit at the event when my staff had taken care to get things started. Sometimes you just grin and bear it.

We had some amazing judges this year at the Hip Hop Dance Battle as well with Willie G from Fox 5, Vanessa Andrada from Studio EFX, and world renowned Red Bull BC One B-Boy’er RoxRite. I geeked out a little bit meeting Rox. I have some of his video battles. Much love to The Junkyard Dance Crew and Choreo Cookies for battling it out in the Battle head-to-head this year. Choreo Cookies won the prize but I think the crowd and all spectators were really winners.

Thank you to Tim Kellogg for taking photos, JabaOne for mixing music all day, and the boys from Audio Design making it all sound amazing. Oh and then we still had Musicpalooza Singers that night! The Semi-Finals were amazing but at that point in the day I was barely registering my own name. Thank you to Hula for staying and hosting the contest and making it awesome for the crowd at the Showcase stage. These 5 singers are moving on to the Finals on Friday July 3rd to compete for the $25,000 and opening for Joan Jett and the Blackhearts: Danielle Tucker, Allegra Barley, Geanie Jenkins, Tiffany Jane, and Zosia Boczanowski. Down to all girls in the contest, but everyone has been great so far. Really looking forward to crowning our winners in bands and singers.

Today is Saturday and I helped book Greg Laswell to close out Singer/Songwriter Day so I will be hanging out until 9pm tonight to see this local musician sing at the Paddock. It’s also Gospel Festival today so it’s a full day of great music at the San Diego County Fair.

Oh, and I am on the hunt for Chocolate Covered Bacon for my roommates, naturally.

And the diet is blown.