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July 6, 1999
Heritagefest preparations hit high gearBy SARA SYVERSON Journal Staff Writer NEW ULM -- There are only three days left before the annual tradition of Heritagefest begins in New Ulm, and there may be people wondering what goes on behind the scenes before the entertainers take the stage and the people arrive at the Brown County Fairgrounds. Heritagefest begins at 11 a.m. on Friday, July 9-11, and July 16-18. Tents are now being raised, the fairgrounds are spruced up, the buildings are touched up, tarps are placed on fences, chairs and bleachers are brought in from schools and colleges, and signs and flags are put up at the site. "It takes us about a week and a half to set up for Heritagefest," said Paul Hazuka, who has helped prepare the Brown County fairgrounds for the past 15 years, "And it takes about a week to tear everything down." Hazuka leads a group of approximately 15 kids who he has hired for the summer to help him spruce up the buildings and grounds before the guests arrive for Heritagefest. "We do a lot of things that don't get noticed," said Hazuka, "We're hoping to be ready for the opening on Friday." Dennis Griebel, a groundskeeper at the fairgrounds who has helped to prepare the fairgrounds since 1985, said he helps to prepare by doing the things the kids on the crew are unable to do, such as setting up stages, working with the sound equipment, assembling coupon booths, and making sure the flags and posts are put up throughout the grounds. Griebel said he has put in 12-14 hour workdays these past two months to prepare the fairgrounds for the summer. According to Griebel, work has been slow since the fairgrounds were damaged by a storm last year at the end of Heritagefest. "It's been a long spring, but we're getting there,"said Griebel, "There's a million little things to do this year. The crew usually works right up until the time the gates open for Heritagefest." The tents are being put up this week by a nine-man crew from Apres Party and Tent Rental, of Edina. This is a new company that was chosen for the tent set-up at the grounds this year, because the old tent rental business used in previous years, owned by Loren Huepenbecker, of Waconia, was sold off this year. Jim Bach, a salesman with Apres Party and Tent Rental said the crew will put up 12 tents in three days. Bach estimates the tent crew should be done and gone by Wednesday. The tent crew worked in the humid, hot weather all day Monday and they got further than they expected by the end of the day. "It (the weather) takes a lot out of you, it's long and exhausting," said Bach, "You have to drink more fluids all day." The tents that are being assembled will stay up for two full weeks and they will be able to withstand up to 70 m.p.h. winds. Hazuka said the Rosen tent and the specialty beer tent were set up by the end of the day on Monday. "Once the tents are up it seems like we are behind and it's a push to get ready for the opening of Heritagefest," said Hazuka. ALIGN="RIGHT">
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