I was working as a bartender at Put-in-Bay, Ohio, and thought I'd be a good citizen by volunteering to help put together the annual fireworks presentation on the 4th of July.
Put-in-Bay (as I have probably explained before) is an island located in Lake Erie. Its primary industry is summer tourism. Unlike many such places, Put-in-Bay's bars, restaurants, and shops have little corporate involvement. A small number of families own and control just about all the major money making businesses. As you can imagine, these owners carry a tremendous amount of weight when it comes to civic events--especially those that might drum up extra business.
The 4th of July is huge on Put-in-Bay, so interest in the fireworks is high. One of the business owners insisted that there be music at that year's celebration. Since I was the only person on the committee that knew anything about music, PA systems, or anything related--I was placed in charge of this edict. To make it worse, the owner that made this pronouncement was the gentleman I worked for--so there was no getting out/ignoring/blowing off his suggestion.
Since Put-in-Bay is an island, and many of its visitors come via boat, the usual m.o. is to have the fireworks originate from a barge in the harbor (so that people on the island and in the bay can see it well). Since this wouldn't change, the "sound system" concept was almost immediately ruled out. However, most of the land-based observers gather on a large lawn at the Perry Peace Monument. Someone got the bright idea to rent a concert-sized sound system to put on that lawn--playing patriotic band music like "Stars and Stripes Forever" and the 1812 Overture--you get the point.
The Chamber of Commerce signed off on the idea and I was told to go forth and hire a company to provide the music.
Initially, the process didn't seem all that bad. After about a dozen phone calls I had secured three reasonable bids and presented them to the chamber board--saying that any of them would be suitable for what they wanted. They picked the cheapest (of course) and told me to make it happen. Contracts were signed, deposits secured, logistics put in place, and schedules set. Everything seemed pretty manageable.
Somewhere in that contract was a sentence that said we were responsible for putting up the crew during their stay, feeding them, and taking care of their transportation. I don't remember thinking too much about that item, I didn't think it would be much of a big deal. On July 2nd I'd realize how mistaken I was. That day was the beginning of one of the most miserable weekends of my life.
Coming tomorrow: The crew arrives.
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