Country
USA 2009
Country USA is located south of Oshkosh, WI, on the west side of US
Highway 41, more or less across from the EAA campgrounds. The audience
enters the event grounds from the Hwy 41 side (the East side). BUT
if you are a stagehand, working the main stage with IATSE Local
470, then you will need to enter via the "stage door", which in this case means entering
the grounds from the west, via Clay and Ripple Roads.
From
the North or South:
Take Hwy 41 North or South to the Hwy 44 exit. Go West on Hwy 44 past the access road and Waukau Rd. to Clay
Road (watch for "Arts Automotive" sign on corner). Turn Left and go south on Clay Rd. to Ripple Rd. From the intersection of Clay
and Ripple Roads you can probably see the EAA grounds to your left
about a third of a mile away. Turn left
onto Ripple Rd., then right onto the gravel road leading
to the backstage areas. The Main Stage is located along the wooden
fence on the west side of the grounds, directly opposite the
headquarters building on the other side of the audience grounds.
You can also get to backstage from the front access road along Hwy 41
by turning Left at Ripple Rd. to get to the gravel road to backstage.
(This is not recommended.) Do NOT use the main audience entrance by the
stone waterfall. This takes you to audience parking and campgrounds,
and it is difficult to get from there to backstage. USE THE BACKSTAGE ENTRANCE!
In general, try to get there early: fifteen to thirty min. is
good. Traffic can be unpredictable, and sometimes is re-routed, so
allow
time for surprises. Police may re-route
traffic patterns to handle the unusual loads, especially as showtime
approaches. Heavy traffic means
traffic jams. We still expect you to be ON TIME. If it seems you might
be late, call the cell phone number for the Steward, which also means
it makes sense to get the cell phone numbers BEFORE you leave home!
WHAT TO BRING:
You will be working outside most of the time, and it can be hot, dry
and dusty, or else cool and rainy. There is usually at least one severe
storm sometime during the week. Hey, it's Wisconsin! Plan accordingly!
Check
weather in case
raingear is
in order. Bring a change
of clothes and spare
footwear in case you get wet. Bring shorts in case it gets
hot, but also bring a warm
jacket. It
often gets cool after dark or after a rain. Layers are good!
It's a good idea to bring sunscreen and
mosquito repellant! A hat is also a good
idea. Bring the usual tools; gloves,
a multi-tool or
screwdriver and pliers, crescent wrench, hammer,
and maybe other tools needed
to get the job done. Lunch is usually provided, as is water and
sometimes soda.
Lunch is about a half-hour long, taken in the catering tent. We don't
have time to leave the site.
There is more available in the Basic Information pamphlet:
Basic
Info Pamphlet
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