“There’s a lot that goes on behind the scenes before we even get to the event,” Blankenship says. The Providence River is tidal, which means employees must scrutinize the tide charts before setting dates for the season’s events. Lighting the SparkOn the morning of an event, staff and volunteers gather at 6 a.m. to go over the day’s tasks. Road closures start at 6:30 a.m., at whichpoint staff and volunteers begin running electricity and setting up tents and sound systems. For event staff and volunteers, however, the cleanup is just getting started.