BLUEFIELD, Va. —
Erik Robinson looks like he hasn’t rested since the historic June 29, storm blew through the two Virginias packing winds strong enough to move a two-and-a-half ton cement highway barrier 7 feet.
“Everything was going so great until that storm came through, but I couldn’t see us putting even one person’s life at risk,” Robinson said. “It was the right thing to do. We had to get 18,000 people out of Mitchell Stadium in a hurry. It was a tough call, but it was an easy call to make. When I went up on the stage, winds were gusting 80-90 miles-per-hour in Beckley and coming our way.”
Although Robinson and Billy Wagner, his partner in the Second Chance Learning Center could have just walked away, Robinson said that it was never even considered. They immediately started working to find another date when they could bring Jake Owen and Eric Church back to Bluefield to finish the concert they were prepared to perform on June 29 before the historic straight line wind storm disrupted life in both Virginias for days and weeks ahead.
“I stopped at a convenience store after we got everything out of the stadium and a couple guys were talking about the cancellation,” Robinson said. “They didn’t know who I was, but that was the topic of discussion for the day. I hadn’t eaten in something like three days, and I stopped to get something to eat, and it was what people were talking about there too.
“I had a lot of complaints after we canceled the concert, but all I could think about was what happened to Sugarland last year at the Indiana State Fair,” Robinson said, making reference to the Aug. 13, 2011, storm that caused a stage to collapse, claiming the lives of 7 concert-goers and leaving dozens more injured. “People complained about $60 tickets, but we’re losing $100,000 for doing this concert over again. The future of the Second Chance Learning Center depends on us doing this the right way.”
Gates will open at 5:30 p.m., on Sunday, for the second, 2nd Annual Second Chance Rocks the Two Virginias Concert with Andy Crawford set to take the stage at 6:15 p.m., Jake Owen from 7 to 8 p.m., and Eric Church from 8:30-10 p.m. Robinson said that all tickets that were sold for the June 29 concert will be honored for the Sunday concert, if people attending the concert on Sunday have their ticket stub, credit card receipt or Ticketmaster receipt.
Robinson said that the devil has been in the details in preparing for the rescheduled concert. “It’s been very ... challenging,” Robinson said. “In 24 hours, we’ll do the same thing that took us 96 hours to do in June,” he said. “Little things keep coming up. Things like getting ATV machines in place and decals on the porta-johns,” he said. “I’ve been selling more tickets, but I’ve been telling people that they need to bring chairs for most of the stadium.”
He said that the only folding chairs they will be setting up will be in the VIP section. “People can’t bring chairs with sharp edges that will cut the turf,” Robinson said. “We’ll be checking chairs to make sure none of them has sharp edges or corners.”
Robinson said that he has been selling more tickets, and he anticipates having a good crowd again for this show. “So many people have stepped up to help in any way they could,” Robinson said. “Cindy at the Day’s Inn in Princeton, the Comptons of the Delrick Corporation, the Cole brothers, Paul Dorsey, Mark Stowers and the National Guard have helped a lot. Bluefield College agreed to move their game up to 1 p.m., on Saturday to help us out. Kent Martin will be bringing his stage crew from Roanoke, Va., to set it up again.
“The goal is to keep Second Chance running,” he said. “We won’t be able to open more centers if we don’t. There are a lot of other community service agencies who count on this concert for help. The community also benefits. You won’t find a motel room in this area available this weekend.”
Robinson said that in spite of the challenges this summer, he is already planning for the third concert next year.
“We’re not going to quit,” he said.
— Contact Bill Archer at barcher@bdtonline.com
Local News
August 23, 2012
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