Beth Degan hanging decorations. A crowd gathers at the Strawberry Festival in Brownwood Paddock Square. Alyssa Torrence and Cody Palka blowing up balloons. On the day of the event, Skertich-Lester and her team put the finishing touches on the decorations and take care of any last-minute details before the event begins. She communicates with her team via radios, ready at a moment's notice to respond to any issues that may arise. No matter what comes her way, Skertich-Lester takes it all in stride, mostly because she makes it a point to try to prepare for any eventuality. "I'd rather be over-prepared than under-prepared," Skertich-Lester said with a laugh. Even after all of the planning, preparation and effort, Skertich-Lester and the rest of The Villages Entertainment crew appreciate seeing the smiling faces of people enjoying the events their team worked so hard to put together. "You start from nothing and you build it all the way up to seeing it actually come to fruition," SkertichLester said. "Seeing all the people come out and enjoy themselves - that's what keeps me coming back." MAGAZINE 21