Crews Working Tirelessly To Finish Papal Stage On Time
By Mark Abrams
PHILADELPHIA (CBS) -- Crews are now assembling the Papal Stage on Eakins Oval in front of the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Scott Mirkin, President of ESM Productions, Philadelphia, is in charge of the staging for the Festival of Families on the Ben Franklin Parkway on Saturday night, Sept. 26 and the open-air Papal Mass on Sunday, Sept. 27.
On Wednesday, construction crews and cranes were lifting into place a 100 foot wide by 90-foot-deep arch and bolting it into position in the staging structure.
However, there's more to be assembled and laid.
"About 40,000 feet of truss, 30 miles of audio cable," Mirkin explained.
Construction and stage-assembly crews are working 12-hour days working to meet the completion deadline in time for Pope Francis' arrival next weekend.
Many of the same people were also involved in set up and tear down operations in the same area for the Made in America concert over the Labor Day weekend.