new spaces mean starting the planning process over from scratch. Plus, many of the technical necessities required by the event were easily satisfied by the Common. Not so with the depot. “It’s a big field behind the old train depot and we’re going to set up a stage and, of course, all the associated things that go with that,” Rogers says. “We have plenty of room for everyone to have some space, but we’ve had to deal with some issues. Just the nuts and bolts of it.” By nuts and bolts he means things like power and lights. It’s nothing some generators and a little forethought can’t handle, but they’re both things that were
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pretty much supported by the Common, so they’re being extra careful to think things through. “It’s a very large area, so we’ve also had some more fencing issues that we had to deal with and a few more security issues that we have to deal with, but we think we’ve got it under control,” Rogers says. New this year are some ATMs, the ability to use credit and debit cards and an LED video board, which will be behind the stage. This year’s musical acts are Sister Hazel and the Joe Stevenson Band, and the video board should add an extra bit of star power to the two popular acts.
“There will be a gentleman working the crowd with a camera that will be showing up on that video board,” Rogers says. “When we’re not showing the event on the screen, we’ll be showing spots for recognition and we’re going to play some South Carolina football highlights and some Georgia football highlights. And you’ll be able to see the cheerleaders from a further distance because they’ll be projected up on that screen.” Add beer tents, food vendors, 10,000 college football fanatics, cheerleaders, mascots and all sorts of merchandise, and you’ve got a whale of a Friday night. And it’s all supporting the needy
children of the CSRA. “It’s a lot of work for us to pull this thing off, but last year we were able to donate about $75,000 to different charities, and we hope to at least have that amount again this year,” Rogers says. “That’s our minimum goal — we hope to get more. The most enjoyable part is when we get to sit down and hand those checks out to those organizations. When we turn those checks over, you wouldn’t believe the smiles on those faces. That’s what it’s all about.”
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