O’Neill received over 2-inches of rain and 50+ mph winds on early Saturday afternoon, the day of the Ian Munsick concert. The combination of high winds and rain caused considerable damage at the concert site. The biggest damage was to the Kansas Pro Sound stage, lights, video and audio equipment. The equipment had top cover but was no match for sideways rain that soaked their equipment making it unfit and unsafe to operate.
Along with equipment damage, the port-a-potties on the north side of the parking lot were blown halfway across the parking lot and the panels that enclosed the concert were all blown over and some damaged. So, at 3 pm Saturday we had no stage, lights, video or sound for the show. Bathrooms had to be set back in place and all the panels put back up.
The day already started off with Ian Munsicks bus having trouble. The Rainforth family made some calls and Chase Ott met the Munsick bus near Pilger and hauled their equipment trailer to O’Neill.
Back in O’Neill and in typical small town Nebraska fashion a group of rain-soaked individuals came up with ideas on where we could get sound, lights and stage. Phone calls were made, local residents came together and with the help of Joel & Brandon Pruden and Kelly Kerkman, rounded up sound equipment to pull this off. These individuals have great equipment but not the large production like we had planned. Roger Miller with O’Neill Electric got us the power we needed, Bryan Hoefer and Pat Cole provided the flatbeds for the stage and the show did go on.
A big thank you to the following, and we apologize if we miss anyone:
Ian Munsick and his crew, Emily Morrow, Heidi Hostert, Jon Kuklis, Scott Poese, Dan Krugman, Mike Hammerlun, Joel & Brandon Pruden, Kelly Kerkman, Roger Miller, Pat & Cindy Cole, Bryan Hoefer, Kayla Burdick, The O’Neill Rotary Club, Chris Sobotka, Steve Nelson, Danny Havranek, Lauri Havranek, Annette Ludwig, Chase Ott, Vandersnick’s Party Trolley, BJ Jamison, Samantha Eichelberger, O’Neill Police Department, Holt County Sheriffs Department, City of O’Neill.
