Luensman recounts 10 years as stage manager of GJCF

     “I just jumped right in and figured out what I need to do.”

     Ryan Luensman of Monticello started working as the stage crew manager at the Great Jones County Fair 10 years ago. He remembers his first year well, as his daughter, Larkyn, was just a few weeks old at the time.

     Luensman came on board during the second day of the fair in 2011. GJCF Production Manager, Dr. Richard Wolken, contacted him because they were in need of someone to lead the stage crew.

     Luensman’s wife, Meleah, works for Wolken Dental, so the families already formed a connection.

     “I jumped in to help,” said Luensman.

     The job of stage crew manager means Luensman is responsible for the 40 to 60 14-to-18-year-olds who are hired for the week of the fair to assist in setting up and tearing down the stage and entertainment productions. When you think back on the 10 years Luensman has been at the helm, his crew has assisted such mega music artists as Keith Urban, Jason Aldean, Blake Shelton, Motley Crue, Kid Rock, Luke Bryan, Eric Church, Carrie Underwood, Tim McGraw, Hootie and the Blowfish, among so many others.

     “We work with the bands and their production managers,” said Luensman. “I manage and schedule the crew throughout the week. We do the full stage setup, and make sure everyone has what they need.”

     Luensman said every day at the fair is different depending on the entertainer who’s scheduled to appear and their production design.

     “A lot of work consumes the week,” he added. “I spend close to a hundred hours here; practically live down here.”

     A typical fair day might end at 2 a.m., and Luensman and some members of the stage crew are back at it by about 7 a.m.

     Working for the Midland School District and coaching wrestling for the Monticello School District, Luensman knows so many youth who he recruits to work as part of the stage crew every summer. He starts about a month to three weeks prior to the GJCF sending out notices for crew members.

     “Sometimes we need them all, sometimes we don’t,” he said of a full crew. “We’re at the mercy of the entertainment when they get here.”

     He secures help from kids in Monticello, Anamosa, Wyoming, and Cascade.

     While the crew members have to be a certain age, Luensman said there is also heavy lifting required of production equipment.

     Speaking of the entertainment, Luensman does not consider himself one to ever get star struck. So meeting big-name musicians and performers really doesn’t impact him.

     “It doesn’t affect me,” he said of maintaining his professionalism while on the job.

     But, he said it is cool when he does get to meet the likes of country music artist Thomas Rhett. Luensman shared a funny story of when Rhett was here in 2017… Luensman told Rhett he was a wrestling coach and Rhett was fascinated about the fact that wrestlers develop what is known as “cauliflower ear.”

     “He was also really impressed with the (stage) crew,” recalled Luensman.

     In 2018, Lauren Daigle opened for Christian band Casting Crowns. That Sunday when Daigle and her crew showed up, she sat on the stage to take in the demolition derby, something she had never seen before.

     “It’s an interesting job,” Luensman said. “Every one of the entertainers is different. They have different requirements.”

     He said these entertainers spend so much time on the road (during a non-pandemic year). Performing at live venues is their life, and part of that is spending time in Monticello at the GJCF.

     “We want this to be a positive environment for them,” offered Luensman. “We’re respectful of them and help them to put on a show for everyone here.”

     When it comes down to it, though, Luensman said he really does the job because of the close-knit family that surrounds the GJCF.

     “People put a lot of time and effort into this fair,” praised Luensman. “It’s a very well-run machine and everyone wants this for the community.”

     He said he also wants to instill a strong work ethic into the youth who work on the crew, and wants them to enjoy their week at the fair as well.

     “I want to make this a positive environment for them,” he added. “We’re a family within a family here. These kids are part of the fair and production process. I want this to be exciting for them; this is an experience a lot of kids wouldn’t get.”

     It’s also an actual family affair for the Luensmans, as they are each involved in the fair in some shape or form during the “Five Best Days of Summer.”

     “There are so many moving pieces here,” said Luensman. “There are a lot of hands and people working together.

     “I’m impressed with our crew, and the acts are impressed, too. They’re fast and efficient and respectful,” added Luensman. “They’re good workers, willing to work hard.”