The Villages - April 2018 - 20

EntErtainmEnt
Nadia Skertich-Lester is a busy woman.
As the special events manager for The Villages Entertainment,
Skertich-Lester's average day is a frenzy of planning, preparing and
coordinating to ensure events around The Villages run smoothly.
There is always something happening in The Villages, and if you
have enjoyed one of the many events around here, chances are you
have come into contact with some of Skertich-Lester's handiwork.
With so many events to plan for throughout the year, SkertichLester and her team often begin planning and prepping up to a year in
advance for the larger events.
According to Skertich-Lester, late May until September is preparation
time for the entertainment team. During those months, her team puts
together anything that can be done ahead of time - copies, parking passes,
information packets and other related tasks.
"We do as much prep as we can," Skertich-Lester said.
During the busy event season - October through May - SkertichLester jumps from event to event - often with as little as a week between
major events.
"We're lucky if we get a week to 10 days between events," Skertich-Lester
said. "Sometimes it's not even that."
Skertich-Lester has been with The Villages for 20 years. She originally
started with The Villages News Network before eventually moving over to
The Villages Entertainment, where she will celebrate her 16th anniversary
in August.
While Skertich-Lester does everything she can to be prepared, there is only
so much that can be done ahead of time. The real time crunch comes in the
final days leading up to an event, and her team is a blur of activity during all
hours of the day.
For a large event such as the annual
"Seeing all the
Strawberry Festival, Skertich-Lester and
people come out and
her team begin putting up decorations
enjoy themselves -
around Brownwood Paddock Square a
that's what keeps me
day or two before the event. Boxes full
coming back."
of prizes for the carnival booths line her
- Nadia Skertich-Lester
office while her team members blow up
balloons or prepare other decorations.
The afternoon and night before the event, Skertich-Lester and her team
begin cordoning off the square to build tents, arrange booths and do other work
that can't be done while the square is open to traffic. Her team will not fully
block off the square until the last vehicle leaves, often working until the early
hours of the morning to make sure everything is set for the following day.
Even for third-party events in The Villages, such as The Villages Charter
School's BBQ Bash, Skertich-Lester and her team still have a hand in helping
plan and set up the event. Her team assists with everything from providing
dumpsters to setting up tents to closing off streets or event areas. In her
words, "If it's on the square, we help with it."
20

APRIL 2018

nadia
SkertichLester

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Villages - April 2018