BETHLEHEM, Pa. — Discussions on making the 43rd Musikfest the very best it can began this week, even as this year’s 42nd showing is underway.
That's according to Ray Neeb, senior vice president of operations for ArtsQuest — the nonprofit overseeing the 10-day music festival across Bethlehem.
Neeb said he and his team are “out here day and night” to be sure of a smooth celebration for the festival, which this year started with a preview night July 31 and concludes Sunday, Aug. 10.
“Once it’s open and everyone’s here having a good time — that’s the best part."Ray Neeb, senior vice president of operations for ArtsQuest
“Once it’s open and everyone’s here having a good time — that’s the best part,” Neeb said. “You see all the people come down having a good time, eating, drinking and listening to music.
“So it’s nice to know that you had a hand in making that happen.”
He said 20 to 25 volunteers a day help with festival setup and takedown.
Tidying up the place
With the Christmas City playing host to the nation’s largest free ungated music festival expecting to bring in more than a million people, it’s got to look the part.
Public Works Director Michael Alkhal said that includes cutting grass, preparing for road closures each day, and checking for loose concrete on structures standing over the festival action.
There's even a 2 a.m. to 6 a.m. shift for cleanup crews on both the North and South sides of town.
Alkhal, in his 28th festival, said his team is “making sure all the infrastructure is in good shape, making sure any small or large items are tidied up, taking care to address both aesthetics and safety issues before the ‘Fest starts.”
The hundreds of festival banners around the city’s bridges and even out on the city’s outskirts near Airport Road have to get up there somehow each July.
That’s where the city Electrical Bureau and its bucket trucks come in.
“We know what we need to do, and my guys just go knock it out of the park every year.”Bethlehem Electrical Bureau Chief Greg Cryder
“We know what we need to do, and my guys just go knock it out of the park every year,” Electrical Bureau Chief Greg Cryder, now in his 16th festival, said.
His team also places all the major electrical access panels for the festival area, primarily on the North Side.
“We set out all the big 200-amp panels, and then contractors come in and tie into those panels to feed the individual booths,” Cryder said.
“We take care of all of Main Street, City Hall and some stuff on Broad Street, the little villages and different things like that.”
Another year or two of actively upgrading electrical panels will have the city’s complete supply up to date, he said.
