Ready to rock
Shellabration volunteers take care of prep work
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <br> After raising the top, crews work on assembling the stage beneath it for the annual Shellabration concert Friday morning.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <br> Avery Martin, of Fort Dodge, works on putting barricades into place Friday morning in front of the stage for the annual Shellabration concert.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <br> Volunteers Tony Weber, at left, of Fort Dodge, and Tom Olson, of Badger, install posts for some of the fencing that will enclose the VIP area at the annual Shellabration concert. During the concert the two will be part of the security detail at the show.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <br> Shellabration stage manager Bobby Martin, at left, and Steven Woodruff, both of Fort Dodge, check the wiring on one of the large LED screens set up on each side of the stage.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <br> A row of tie-down straps await use Friday morning as crews work to put up the stage for the annual Shellabration concert.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <br> Charlie Blankenberg, of Fort Dodge, one of many volunteers from Elanco, installs lights around the outside of the VIP tent Friday morning for the annual Shellabration concert.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <br> After raising the top, crews work on assembling the stage beneath it for the annual Shellabration concert Friday morning.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <br> Avery Martin, of Fort Dodge, works on putting barricades into place Friday morning in front of the stage for the annual Shellabration concert.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <br> Volunteers Tony Weber, at left, of Fort Dodge, and Tom Olson, of Badger, install posts for some of the fencing that will enclose the VIP area at the annual Shellabration concert. During the concert the two will be part of the security detail at the show.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <br> Shellabration stage manager Bobby Martin, at left, and Steven Woodruff, both of Fort Dodge, check the wiring on one of the large LED screens set up on each side of the stage.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <br> A row of tie-down straps await use Friday morning as crews work to put up the stage for the annual Shellabration concert.
-Messenger photo by Hans Madsen <br> Charlie Blankenberg, of Fort Dodge, one of many volunteers from Elanco, installs lights around the outside of the VIP tent Friday morning for the annual Shellabration concert.
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There are about 1.4 million details to take care of during the setup for the annual Shellabration concert at the Harlan and Hazel Rogers Sports Complex before the headliner, Sammy Hagar, can play tonight.
One of those details is a box of tennis balls sitting in a plastic tub in the VIP tent where Melissa Hansen, director of the VIP operation, was setting up Friday.
"Those go on the tent stakes to protect people," she said. "So they don't break their toes."
She's overseeing an important part of the show.
"We're setting up the tent for the party for the sponsors," she said. "We're making sure they have a good time."
So how long does it take to set up an entire VIP tent, from driving the stakes and putting the tennis balls on them to lighting the candles as the gates open?
"With a good crew I can do it in a day," she said. "It's a lot of prep work."
Charlie Blankenberg and Robert Hansen, both of Fort Dodge, were among the volunteers working in the VIP area.
Blankenberg was stringing lights.
"I'm setting up tables, lights, table cloths, I helped put the tent together," he said. "A little bit of everything."
He apparently forgot one thing on the list.
"Golf cart driver extraordinaire," Hansen joked.
"They won't let me on that," Blankenberg replied.
The concert grounds have a considerable amount of fencing added to keep various areas separate during the show.
Tom Olson, of Badger, was working on putting up some of that along with Tony Weber, of Fort Dodge.
Olson has been a been a volunteer for 10 years.
So how many fence posts would he would drive into the ground Friday morning?
"I have no idea," he said. "Probably a couple of hundred."
When Hagar comes on stage tonight, neither Olson or Weber will be out in the audience in a lawn chair.
"We do security as well," Weber said. "Posts today, security tomorrow."
Neither minds, they can still hear the concert.
Several other volunteers were working with them to put the fencing up on the posts they had just driven into the ground.
Stephanie Dahlgren, of Fort Dodge, was one of them.
"The women are doing all the hard work," she joked.
Of course, the bands need a stage to play on. Setting up is a long process that started early Friday morning and will continue as band equipment arrives with a few minor adjustments, sometimes done right before showtime.
Averey Martin, of Fort Dodge, was among the crew working to get it all done.
He travels setting up for shows.
"It's nice to be home," he said.
While he will get to enjoy the concert, after the concert is always on his mind.
"We get it done," he said. "But we know we have to tear it down."
Shellabration President Jim Reed was also among the super busy Friday. Besides answering close to a million questions, he was helping to move a sink inside a tent, making sure that everyone was staying hydrated and making sure that everything was just so.
He said he expects a good crowd.
"Ticket sales are brisk," he said. "I believe we'll be in the 6,500 to 6,800 range."
He had nothing but praise for the volunteers and staff.
"This crew rocks," he said. "It's a dedicated professional community of service extraordinaire."
Concert goers will also notice that the stage is bigger this year.
The bands simply needed the room.
"With two national acts," Reed said. "We needed it bigger."
Gates open at 5:30 p.m. today.