July 2021 marked our return to event rentals for Quench Buggy. It all kicked off with the Peach Music Festival in Scranton, Pennsylvania. This came with its own set of issues when crossing the border for the first time in 18 months. There were testing requirements we had to meet and employee scheduling issues that made it necessary for me to tackle the first event. To be quite honest, it was strange being back in large crowds but also refreshing to be back at live events again.
As the summer progressed we started to get into a nice routine with a couple of festivals every weekend. The Citi Open Tennis tournament in Washington, DC was a great experience. The Convocation Picnic at the University of Michigan was a fun experience until about 7pm where there was a torrential downpour which made things wrap up early. This is also where I experienced the labour shortage being faced in many places. Every restaurant I tried to go to was closed at 8 pm due to staffing issues.
Probably the most memorable event for me personally was Faster Horses. I have always set that event up but never been part of it after the set-up was done. It was amazing to see the crowds living life to their fullest. I particularly enjoyed sitting at the very back of the venue watching the fireflies in the summer heat while Luke Combs played the night away.
I find myself doing a lot of walking around neighborhoods during the downtime at events, which leads us to some great food experiences.
Next up for me personally was Made In America, which I have done for so many years I can’t remember when we started. This event is always my end of summer event, usually with some of my family right before the kids head back to school. I always find myself hurrying through tear-down to get home in good time before the first day of school. As an event, it always attracts a similar crowd, but seeing Justin Beiber perform was someone I had yet to see in ten years of events. This is also a city that is great to walk around and we have become regulars at the Trolley Diner and Whole Foods.
The end of September brought me back to the early days of Quench Buggy, when we were running right to the limits. We set-up for the Public Lands Grand Opening in Pittsburgh before heading to Atlanta for a Dropkick Murphy’s concert. While in Pittsburgh, I decided to go and take in the Pittsburgh Penguins training camp before making the drive to Atlanta. The way the hours worked out, I decided I only had three hours to sleep and that a hotel was not worth it, so I slept in the “Ram Hotel” (my backseat) at a truck stop. I was all set up for a busy day in Atlanta before moving on the next day to Memphis to deliver a trailer for the following weekend. To wrap up what was a busy five days, I headed back to Pittsburgh to pick up the trailer from Public Lands and go home.
While all this was going on, we were also making headway in the film industry, which was new and exciting for us.
My last road trip of the year came in the first week of October when I headed to Denver to deliver a trailer to a new partner that would be serving the California area. I do love the drive west and really enjoyed the weather before the snow hit. Denver was great and my delivery location was up in the mountains. It was absolutely beautiful.
Considering the circumstances and what could have been far worse, we are thankful for the year we had and look forward to the coming season!
Darryl Hindle