Setting stage for history at Invesco Field

0 Comments | USA TODAY, August, 2008 | by Alan Gomez

DENVER -- Preparing for Barack Obama's historic acceptance speech tonight at Invesco Field at Mile High has required an equally historic level of preparation.

More than 200 spotlights. Twenty 18-wheelers full of equipment. A crew of hundreds working nearly around the clock to prepare the stage for the Democratic National Convention's grand finale. "The magnitude of this is incomprehensible," said Bruce Crawford, the stadium crew chief overseeing the preparations.

Crawford has been sleeping in an office at the stadium since Friday night, when the Denver Broncos completed a pre-season game and the work began.

Crews cleared the field of benches, goal posts and rain tarps. The next morning, they began moving in massive components to build elevated...