Workers rolled out the red carpet, symmetrically positioned two lecterns and smoke-tested the ventilation as The Bushnell theater prepared for a starring role in the first presidential debate.
The stately Bushnell, with its gold art deco designs and maroon velvet curtains, was further embellished with a federal-blue backdrop for Sunday's debate between President Clinton and Republican challenger Bob Dole.The air conditioners have been tweaked to exact requirements: 62 degrees for the candidates on stage, 65 degrees for the crowd of about 1,000 who will attend the debate.
Touring the theater Friday, Gov. John G. Rowland spoke of how delicate an operation it all is.
"You've got a lot of people, a lot of issues, everybody's sensitive," he said. "It's the middle of the campaign, so it's about as sensitive as it could possibly get. Having said that, it's all coming together beautifully."
But one area of uncertainty remained as corporate sponsors of the debate worried about how many tickets they would receive. "There's a lot of frustration that I'm hearing," said Terry D'Italia, a spokesman for Aetna Inc., a $50,000 sponsor.
"The difficulty is not in how many tickets, or how few. It's in not knowing," said Peter Seremet, senior vice president at Heublein Inc., which gave $25,000.
The Washington Post reported Saturday that some big Democratic donors were offered a pair of tickets to the debate in exchange for a $25,000 contribution.
A spokesman for the Democratic National Committee, David Eichenbaum, said there was "absolutely no quid pro quo." But the Post said he acknowledged that party finance officials had considered, but discarded, "an idea to do some fund-raising around the debate. . . ."
Clinton and Dole both plan to arrive in Connecticut early Sunday afternoon.
A few blocks from The Bushnell, debate organizers finished turning the convention hall at the Hartford Civic Center into a press filing center.
City worker Johnny Cook toiled away on one of Hartford's beautification details, meanwhile. He was helping to sweep the street and uproot sidewalk weeds next to the State Armory, where a party is planned for Dole on Sunday night.
Cook said he wasn't sure which candidate he favors but was happy to get the overtime pay. He'd already been on the cleanup patrol for two weeks already.