Some excitement this afternoon at the Lake Michigan College Mendel Mainstage. An active sprinkler head failed in the Mendel Mainstage lobby, just hours before a major show is slated to take place on the Mainstage, dousing part of that lobby briefly.
First, and foremost, the show will go on for tonight’s performance of Cirque Mechanics, on time and on schedule.
LMC authorities say that the sprinkler head erupted, spraying water into the lobby until it could be de-activated. It also briefly led to evacuation of the building as officials tried to determine what caused the sprinkler system to misfire in that location. Nobody was injured and set up crews who were reportedly working on the load-in process for tonight’s 8pm show were unharmed in the situation. The amount of water was not extreme, in fact it was termed “manageable,” allowing the show to continue right on schedule.
LMC Marketing Director Candice Elders says that school officials discovered a water main break this morning to the northeast of the Hanson Technology Center on the Napier Avenue Campus in Benton Harbor, and utility crews and maintenance staff are working on confirming exactly which lines have been compromised.
They’re not sure if the incident involving the sprinkler head is related, but a contractor has been called in to assess the situation and make the proper repairs on the water main tomorrow morning. While that process is undertaken tomorrow, water service will be shut off to the entire Napier Avenue Campus except for the Mendel Center.
Elders says that LMC staff is supplying all the necessary accommodations to students in the Beckwith Residence Hall on campus while the search and repair process is being resolved.
Ticket holders to Cirque Mechanics will still enjoy the full feature showcase of the 42-foot ring of thrills, laughs and excitement of the Mainstage event. The show features a unique mechanical interpretation of the traditional one-ring circus including a galloping mechanical metal horse and a rotating tent frame for strongmen, acrobats and aerialists.
One further monkey wrench for the staff is that the orchestra pit riser broke a spring and they’ve had to relocate orchestra members for the show.
