Survival of the 4th-ist

The biggest event of the year at my new job is the 4th of July. Billed as "one of the largest fireworks displays west of the Mississippi," our little national park welcomes 65,000 people to enjoy more than $100,000 worth of pyrotechnics. And the 12 hours leading up to the main event are filled with live music, kids games, blackpowder demonstrations, carnival rides, cheap museum entry fees and overpriced corn dogs.

My part was the corn dogs. Also the elephant ears, strawberry shortcake, karmel korn, shaved ice, chicken sandwiches, burgers and bubble teas. I was queen of food and beverage.

I worked from 7:30am - 10:30pm on the 3rd, chalking all the booth spaces and negotiating with the vendors who began their set-up 5 hours too early. They also wanted to rearrange their locations, plug in more freezers, and take up more space than they paid for. Thursday was a very long day.

But it paid off, because Friday was comparatively easy. Here from 6am-midnight, I actually just rode my golf cart around in a big circle, checking in on the vendors and entertaining my family. The Star spent most of the day with me and described my job like this:

Eliza (on cell phone): "Hello, this is Eliza!....Ice? Yes, I will take care of that."

Eliza (on radio): "Jason, they need ice at Pronto Pup. Thanks."

Eliza (on cell phone): "Hello, this is Eliza!....No power on Evergreen? Yes, I will take care of that."

Eliza (on radio): "Mike, they just lost power on Evergreen. Thanks."

I received a lot of compliments for my great attitude and organizational skills for my first year. But I think I just got lucky.