Blackhawks Rally Day Draws 60,000+

For the third time in six years, the Chicago Blackhawks won the Stanley Cup, and Chicago fans turned out in big numbers to celebrate at the Soldier Field rally held three days after the team’s big win over the Tampa Bay Lightning.

The rain did little to dampen the spirits of an estimated 60,000 fans who crowded into the stadium; free tickets, distributed via Ticketmaster the day before, were snatched up in minutes.

Chicago Scenic’s Project Manager Stefan Koniarz began meeting with Ravenswood Event Services even before the Hawks had clinched the title to discuss plans first for a parade, then for a rally. After the win, planning went into high gear when the decision was made to move the rally from rain-soaked Grant Park to Soldier Field.

Beginning the day before the rally, Koniarz, Carpentry Department Head Andy Lemerand, and Project Director Gary Heitz began to oversee labor crews that were erecting the stage and media platform. Heitz also arranged for Noah Winter of Artistry in Motion to fly in from California to oversee the confetti cannons that launched 450 pounds of red, black, and white confetti during the rally; Winter managed the confetti cannons at the 2013 and 2010 Blackhawks’ parades as well.

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