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Friday, July 9, 2010
Fast facts about Country Concert
It takes a lot of time and a lot of people to put on the Country Concert each year. Here is a look at the concert by the numbers, courtesy of Jim Prenger, event spokesperson.
42,000: Concert-goers expected this year.
2,500: Recreational vehicles that will be on the grounds during the event.
1,000: Cases of beer sold at the concert. They are sold by a non-profit group that offers 30 beers and a bag of ice for $20. “Country Concert is one of only a few carry-in festivals or events in America. Small coolers are welcome, so people bring in their own food and beverages including beer. It makes the event very affordable. We like it that way and don’t plan to change.”
28: Stage hands that work the concert per day. “They are mostly from the Tom and Jan Steinke family from Botkins, Ohio. They have been doing it for all 30 years and have multigenerational members in the crew.”
$12 million: The Sidney Shelby County Chamber of Commerce estimates the concert brings in $12 million through sales at hotels, restaurants, gas stations, convenience stores and grocery stores during the concert.
350: Volunteers it takes to put on the event, mostly from nonprofit groups. “Those organizations use the Country Concert as their annual fundraiser. We (the event) get quality people, working hard, and having some fun.”
365: Days organizers work on the event. “We have a small year round staff of about 4 people. Mike and Mary Jo Barhorst and their family start working on the next year’s artist lineup shortly after the event.
6,536: The longest distance in miles someone traveled to attend the concert was from Tokyo. Fans have also come from Iceland and Sweden. Still, 90 percent of concert-goers are from the Dayton area.
1,200: The number of zip codes concert-goers come from. Those are made up of 38 states and Canada.
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TweetMany interesting sights at Country Concert
Part of the fun of Country Concert is what you see.
So far, I have witnessed: A young teen with an Abraham Lincoln tattoo. You don’t see that every day.
A man wearing only a black WOMEN’S bikini bottom.
Then, minutes later, a man wearing a women’s bikini bathing suit top.
Steel Magnolia singer Meghan Linsey eating at a picnic table backstage with roadies.
Singer Billy Currington being photographed with a girl in a wheelchair, who goes on to accept multiple congratulations from other concert-goers.
Horses. A g roup of trail riders and their horses trot over to the concert and listen to the performers.
Porta-potties. And the big trucks that service them.
A big trend this year is writing on one’s body. Friday’s specific theme was titles of Trace Adkins songs.
And despite what so many people think, not everyone is drunk. A lot of people are drinking. Those people also do not seem to believe in trash cans, but there are also a lot of people here, just enjoying the music.
And the sights.
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TweetHank Williams, Jr. not a big Obama fan
Hank Williams, Jr. showed his disdain for President Obama twice during his Thursday, July 8 performance at Country Concert 2010 in Fort Loramie.
It wasn’t a surprise as Williams appeared at events for Republicans John McCain and Sarah Palin in the 2008 campaign.
On a stage wall was a sentiment aimed at Obama. It said the sentiment that Hank would keep his religion and his guns and “You Can Keep the Change,” targeting candidate Obama’s change platform..
Then there was the overt comment about Obama being a bad president and Hank raising two middle fingers. The crowd cheered. (It cheered everything he did. He could have told the crowd it was a bad crowd and cheers would ensue.)
Things he did like: The U.S. military, Alabama Crimson Tide and cowboys, as evidenced by the various hats he wore during the performance.He must like big gold rings too, as three were on his hand.
He liked women, too. At least three in bikinis stood on the wings of the stage during his performance.
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TweetRehg leaves Culture Works
Denise Rehg, president and CEO of Culture Works since 2004, has stepped down to accept an executive position with the United Way of Central Ohio in Columbus.
Kathy Hollingsworth, a partner with the Dayton-based consulting firm Innovative InterChange Associates and a former president of National City Bank, will serve as interim leader at Culture Works. Board chair Rick Stover said a search to fill the position is under way.
Rehg, 49, a native of Goose Bay, Labrador, Canada, moved to Dayton with her family when she was 4. She joined Culture Works in 2001 as vice president of marketing and development and was previously on the staff of the Victoria Theatre Association and Dayton Opera.
She will be assistant vice president for major gifts at United Way in Columbus.
“The timing was right and it’s a good fit all around,” said Rehg, who is single and the mother of three children. Her youngest is a sophomore at Ohio State University.
“I’m an empty nester now and I want to start a new personal chapter. I think it will be good for Culture Works as well. It should be good to have a new leader with new ideas.”
Her salary at Culture Works was $84,365, plus benefits, for the year ending June 30, 2008.
Culture Works, the united arts fund of the Dayton area, is in the final days of its annual campaign. Rehg estimated that the drive will fall about $50,000 short of the $1.55 million goal.
“The campaign results had nothing to do with my decision. I feel pretty good about what we have achieved during a corporate downturn,” she said.
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