Well event day finally came and went! I started my morning early that day at 4:00 am arriving at Tumbleweed Park. My normally 20 minute commute took about 10 minutes. Maybe I should try getting up and going to work earlier?
Once there I realize why I had to be there at 4 am. There was SO much to do even with all the other preparations we had done the days before. At around 5:00 we had our tables and chairs delivered and set up. This was a huge help seeing as we had about 40 vendors or so and lots of extra tables for people to be able to sit at. Myself and another staff person did various tasks such as hanging sponsorship posters on the stage, labeling each booth area so vendors would know where to set up, assisting vendors with questions they had about their booth sites, and any other odd job that needed to be done. Once the event got underway I ran a booth where families could come get a piece of chalk and draw under our huge ramada, or rent out sports equipment such as volleyballs and horseshoes to play with in our designated activities area. Interacting with the public was different this time than I had ever experienced. I had to keep in mind when answering questions and resolving conflict that I was representing the City of Chandler. Not that I would ever be rude or disrespectful at a professional engagement, but for the first time I realized that I was, for all intents and purposes, a city official. I wore the same shirt as paid professional staff and had the same knowledge, so I could not hide behind the excuse that I was just an intern if I had a poor attitude or gave wrong information. I looked like everyone else. It was a little daunting at first, but I eventually became more comfortable as the day went on and accepted the responsibility with grace and everything went great.
We had about 2000 people attend from all age groups. When the event was over at 1:30 we all worked together to take down signs, fold up tables and chairs, pack supplies away into our parks and rec trailer, and clean up the field. Surprisingly we were done at about 3; the Chandler staff really know how to work together and work efficiently!
I was not as tired as I thought I would be when I got home, but the next day was a different story. I woke up SO so so sore in parts of my body I never knew had muscles. It was worth it though, because as one little girl put it as I handed her some chalk, "This is the best day ever!"
Successful event? I think so.
* As a side note I took lots of photos but my 4 year old Galaxy decided it was it's time to go so I lost everything.
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