One of the most fan-friendly features at the Mankato facility is Vikings Village, the product of a partnership between the Vikings organization, training camp organizers and corporate sponsor Midwest Wireless. Even when the team isn't practicing, fans are treated to a variety of entertainment and activities, including live music contests and themed entertainment onstage and an interactive game area for kids and adults, as well as a variety of food outlets. Visitors can shop for souvenirs at the gift shop, enjoy, and get autographs from local celebrities.
As the activity level at the Village has grown, so has the need for sound reinforcement. Local design firm Farber Sound, based in nearby Maple Plain, were presented with the challenge of designing a system that could provide sufficient levels for the Village itself while not interfering with the team's announcements on the field. Company president Dave Farber created a system based around the full-range weather-resistant R-Series loudspeakers from Community Professional Loudspeakers. "The Village area is located behind the bleachers facing the field, so we wanted a system that was powerful enough for the crowd, but wouldn't spill out onto the field," Farber explains. "It had to be versatile enough to handle music, with a high intelligibility factor for all the announcements. It needed to be weatherized and weather-proof, simple to operate, and dependable enough to run multiple events lasting from early mornings to late evenings."
The speaker system design consists of five zones, each with its own amplification and DSP. The parking lot and vendors' zones are covered by a selection of three Community R1-66X, a two-way, full-range, horn-loaded system with a 12" LF driver and durable multi-layer glass composite construction, while an additional vendors' zone and the outdoor VIP area arehandled by three of the more compact R.5-99X two-way systems. The indoor VIP tent is covered by three CPL27B cabinets, a two-way trapezoidal system featuring a pair of 8-inch LF drivers and a 90° x 90° dispersion pattern. A Shure SCM-262 rack-mount unit covers mixing duties, with Shure SM58 microphones for paging. Crest amplification powers the system.
"The system installation went very smoothly," Farber reports. "The Community loudspeakers proved to be a great solution - the R-Series' High-Q Index was a great asset in helping us keep the sound directed away from the playing field. The speakers sound great, and they're total workhorses, running from the crack of dawn until late at night, no matter what the weather."
(Lee Baldock)
