ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, March 12, 1996 TAG: 9603120062
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: C-1 EDITION: METRO
COLUMN: What's On Your Mind?
SOURCE: RAY REED
Q: The Roanoke Firefighters Association fund-raising concert March 3 had way more people than there were seats in the Salem Civic Center. Why was the event oversold so badly? Also, were any fire laws broken with the number of people in the civic center and with some of them sitting on the steps blocking the aisles?
D.M.P., Blue Ridge
A: This has happened before.
The firefighters association didn't sell the tickets or plan the seating, though.
Ticket sales were handled by a promoter, the Gehl Corp. of Miami. Gehl sold tickets by telemarketing, using the firefighters association's name.
The firefighters get a share of the profits, which after other concerts has turned out to be 10 percent to 20 percent of the ticket price.
Lots of Roanoke-area homes got calls from Gehl's phone bank for this concert by the Confederate Railroad.
Sales are made with the expectation that many of those who buy tickets are making a donation to the firefighters and won't actually attend the concert.
For whatever reason - nice weather, maybe, or the first country music concert in the valley in awhile - the turnout was larger than expected.
There were 6,812 tickets taken, said Carey Harveycutter, manager of the civic center.
Gehl had told Harveycutter to expect a crowd of 3,800 to 4,200. The civic center had 5,800 seats ready, although estimates Gehl had given for previous events it promoted were within 400 to 500 tickets every time, Harveycutter said.
By the time the crowd size became evident, it was too late to set up more seats. The best choice seemed to be to let people stand, Harveycutter said.
The Salem center is rated for 8,000 people under the fire code, so that limit apparently wasn't exceeded.
A similar situation occurred at the Roanoke Civic Center in April 1994 with a Charlie Daniels Band concert promoted by Gehl under the firefighters association name.
Turnout for that concert topped 9,000 and exceeded available seating by about 1,000, said Mark Collins, assistant manager of the Roanoke center at the time.
Gehl's local office referred questions to the company's Miami headquarters. Calls there were not returned.|
Can't redeem tabs
Q: I have been told that collections of metal tabs from soft drink cans can be traded for time on a dialysis machine for needy patients. Is this true? If so, who is the sponsor?
P.W., Pearisburg
A: Tabs for dialysis time is an urban legend - and a persistent one.
Around the nation, people have collected tabs with the feeling they were helping someone out.
When they look for a place to redeem the tabs, there are no takers.
A gallon jug full of tabs would be worth about $1 to $1.10 for aluminum recycling, said Robert DeHaven at Cycle Systems in Roanoke.
DeHaven said he hears this rumor two or three times a year.
Have a question about something that might affect other people, too? Something you've come across and wondered about? Maybe we can find the answer. Give us a call at 981-3118, or e-mail us at RoatimesInfi.Net|
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