I worked at the Lowell Folk Festival this past Saturday. The event took place at Lowell National Historical Park. It was so great to experience another national park. However, I was not there to see the sights, I was there to work. The event was expected to attract over 100,000 visitors over the course of three days so there was a lot to be done to ensure the safety of the public. The morning started of with a briefing. All of the LE rangers were in the ranger station. The rangers came in from all over to help out with this event. Most of them were from Salem, Cape Cod, and other Massachusetts parks, however one of the rangers came all the way from the Virgin islands to help out. I really enjoyed talking to the rangers and hearing all about their parks. 
The morning briefing went over all of the security and safety details. There was a strict plan in place. There was so much thought and planning put into preventative measures. I found the entire briefing to be incredibly thorough. After the briefing I went out to my assigned section with my supervisor Mark. He gave me lots of helpful information and tips on how to deal with large crowds, what to look for, and how to react in various situations should they occur. It was great being in a new environment because it provided me with an entirely new set of skills.
Working at the festival was fun, I got to drive a golf cart and do foot patrols. I helped many visitors find where they needed to go. I got to observe several medical emergencies caused by both heat and overconsumption of alcohol. Like mentioned above this day really exposed me to a lot of new situations. Later in the evening when the bigger bands started playing I helped with crowd control by making sure the fans did not try to sneak behind the stager or run up onto the stage while the bands were playing. 
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