Behind the Boombox: The Backstage Build of Battle Columbus

Bess sets up her larger-than-life Boom Box

Battle Columbus: Boom Box Breakdown (Part 1 – The Build Begins)

In case you missed it, I’m super involved with The Childhood League Center here in Columbus. Yep—that’s our crew. And together, we’re putting on the most epic fundraiser this side of the Scioto: Battle of the Bands, aka Battle Columbus, happening April 11th at 7PM. Mark your calendars, tell your friends, and brace yourself for the ultimate showdown.

Now, in addition to chairing sponsorship (because sleep is optional), I decided to build a giant boom box. Because, you know, normal decorations just weren’t gonna cut it.

That up there? That’s the inspo pic.

This? This is reality.

Like any good DIY dream, it started at Home Depot. These giant 4x8 boards weren’t about to fit in my flaming red Jeep—if you know, you know—so we called in the ServPro trucks for backup. Loaded ‘em up and hauled everything back to our South Office (aka the new boom box lab).

First step: I tackled the end panels. To make perfect speaker circles, I did what any resourceful person would do—cut a piece of tape, attached it to an Expo marker, tacked it to the center, and spun it like a protractor MacGyver. Then I traced and cut the second one to match.

Those leftover scraps? They’re getting repurposed as backing for the Battle Columbus letters—hello, 3D dimension.

Next came the vinyl. I ordered 150 feet of slick black vinyl to give the boom box that shiny, classic look and protect it from dings and storage bumps. It was a beast to apply—pull, peel, smooth, repeat—but luckily the foam gave me some grace. For the speaker cutouts, I made little slits and folded the vinyl inward for a cleaner finish.

And that was Day One: end caps complete, tools down, office cleaned, and one very excited builder on the way out.

Follow along for the full series—and come see the boom box in all its oversized, LED-lit glory at Battle Columbus.

Tickets at battlecolumbus.com

Battle Columbus: Boom Box Breakdown (Part 2 – Vinyl & the Heart Behind the Hustle)

And we’re back at it—Day 2 of building this epic boom box for Battle Columbus. In case you missed it, the big night is April 11th at Kemba Live, and it’s going to be legit.

This day was all about vinyl.

I had about two hours left in my workday, and I thought—alright, let’s do this. Let’s bang it out. What followed was a straight-up montage of me applying copious amounts of vinyl. Walls. Ceiling. Corners. If it had a surface, it got stickered.

So while I’m elbow-deep in adhesive and sweating through the soundtrack of my life, it feels like the perfect time to pause and tell you why we’re doing all this.

Battle Columbus is more than just bands and bragging rights.
We’re raising funds for The Childhood League Center, a school that gives kids with special needs the very best start in life.

This place is magic. They provide early education, therapy, and full-family support in the most fun and inclusive environment imaginable. From speech to OT to PT, they meet each child where they are—and give parents the tools they need to support their little ones every step of the way.

I’ve seen it firsthand. I’ve seen kids take their first steps here, speak their first words, and grow into their own—because someone believed in their potential.

That’s what we’re fighting for.
That’s what Battle supports.

Want to learn more or chip in? Head to battlecolumbus.com.

Now—back to the boom box. Remember when I said the vinyl would “protect” things? Yeah… you’ll see that moment of chaos when I take it straight across the ceiling. But hey—it stayed up! For now.

Will this boom box bop or flop at Battle Columbus?
Stick around and find out.

Battle Columbus: Boom Box Breakdown (Part 3 – Stereo Struggles & LED Joy)

We’re back at it with Part 3—and this time, it’s stereo drama, hot glue hustle, and a little help from my ServPro friends.

Day one started like all great projects do: with a shopping spree. I grabbed everything I thought I might need… and then some. Back at the office, I laid it all out to get a feel for the layout—stacked letters? Letters in a line? Let the vibe guide the vision.

In case you missed it, I work at ServPro, and let me just say—we have the most amazing team. I’ve been working out of our South Office, which is home to our full-blown reconstruction unit (yes, like actual builders and fixers and brilliant creative minds). So naturally, as I was wrestling with stereo logistics, they all rallied around me. “What’s going on?” “Where can we help?” I could’ve cried.

The stereos were tripping me up. But after a few idea swaps with coworkers, I had a plan—and it worked.

Step one: I took black netted fabric and stretched it over the stereo front.
Step two: I stapled. Then stapled some more. Then ran out of staples.
Step three: I molded black insulation piping around the outer edge and—yes—hot glued it like my life depended on it.

So far? It’s holding. We’re calling that a win.

Now, back to the whole amazing coworkers thing. Enter Francesca. This part was extra fun because I had to figure out Google Translate on the fly (shoutout to my multilingual debut). Then we headed to our other ServPro office (because yes, we’ve got two back-to-back) to see Greg, our resident art restorator, and snag some thick black paper.

We layered that over the stereo front, tucked the LED lights in between the screen and paper, and waited on someone to find a power block so we could plug it in.

Moment of truth.
It lit up.
We screamed.
It worked.

Battle Columbus: Boom Box Breakdown (Part 4 – Crunch Time)

We are days away from Battle Columbus, and it is officially CRUNCH TIME.

The to-do list is long, the boom box is huge, and my LED dreams are just getting started. Welcome to Part 4 of this wild DIY ride.

Let’s start with the letters. I decided to go full 3D so I could sneak some LED lights behind them—because if it doesn’t glow, did it even happen? This boom box is massive. I don’t think people truly grasp how big this thing is. Like, life-size soundtrack-to-your-childhood big.

But I couldn’t be more pumped that I’m the one who gets to bring this to life. I feel a ton of support from everyone involved—thank you, Battle crew, you’re the real MVPs.

If you haven’t checked out Battle Columbus yet, now’s the time. You don’t even have to be there to donate or win big in the silent auction. (Yes, really.)

A few days ago, I finished the cassette panel—but then hit a classic designer dilemma: Where do the buttons go?! Above? Below? Three? Four? In what order? Naturally, I called in reinforcements. Tried explaining the whole thing, which mostly resulted in a lot of “Wait…you built a what?”

The answer lies at Battle. Come see the final decision for yourself.

Now, about the lettering nightmares (yes, literal nightmares). I laid out all the panels in the warehouse to get it perfect. No tape measure in sight—but I did find two blocks of wood that were exactly the same size. Who needs numbers when you’ve got instincts and lumber?

I traced them out, lined everything up with blue painter’s tape (shoutout to whoever invented that miracle), and made sure those letters hit exactly on the vinyl line. A little DIY, a little MacGyver, and a lot of caffeine.

That’s the wrap on Part 4.

Two. Days. Left.
If you don’t have your tickets—go get them.
This is one Battle you don’t want to miss.

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Bess Giving Back, with sons Kurt and Charlie, at the Childhood League Center 2023

For the past two years, my now-doubled-in-size family has had the privilege of sponsoring a family through the League—just like ours when we first started our journey. We gather all the information and carefully select everything they need, always making sure to include the most important item… spiderman pajamas. Pulling up to the Center with Kurt and Charlie by my side, delivering those gifts, in one of those rare full-circle moments that leaves you breathless. The Childhood League Center had such an impact on our lives and our success story, I genuinely don’t think we’d be where we are without their support. Six years ago, I never, in a million years, imagined I’d be thriving here in Columbus with an amazingly supportive husband and four kids, have a blooming career, giving back to the school and community that lifted me up when i was at our lowest.  

But my journey with the Childhood League isn’t over - I joined their Volunteer board in 2024. I now serve on the sponsorship committee for Battle Columbus, the Center’s largest fundraiser, and let me tell you, it’s incredible to see the magic behind the scenes. The dedication and effort that goes into pulling off an event like this are nothing short of inspiring. It is so exciting to see businesses and the Columbus community rallying together to support families just like mine so many years ago in a fun and unique way! It feels surreal to be in a position where I can give back just as the League once did for me. This entire experience has been a reminder of how much love and strength exists in our community—and how powerful it is when we all come together for a single purpose.