By Michael Anderson

PORTLAND, ME (AP)- As the sun begins to set over 568 Riverside Street in Portland, Maine, a group of men gather together on the front lawn and admire their handiwork. The familiar smell of cut grass fills the air, sprinklers beat out their rhythmic song, and somewhere a beer is cracked open. The Lawn Olympics Lawn Crew has completed their daily work, and the end result is a treasure to behold.

"If you're calling this thing Lawn Olympics, you better have a hellava lawn" says Josh Wolfram, the foreman of this band of fourteen landscapers, recent parolees and illegal immigrants. On June 23rd, this spot will become the proving grounds for hundreds of competitors. Many of them will toil through the events without giving a single thought to the ground beneath them. That duty has been passed on to this crew, and they take it very seriously. "I consider myself an artist," says Wolfgram, "whether it's trimming the hedges, raking out the horseshoe pits, or wackin' the weeds, I'm making art. When people ask me what I do, I tell them I create."

With the big event still weeks away, this crew is on a light schedule, starting in at 6am and cutting out at 7pm, six days a week. However, soon they will enter "crunch time" when every single minute of daylight is utilized to sculpt this small parcel of land into a Mecca of lawn gaming. Parts of the turf will need to be ripped out and replaced with fresh sod. Others need to be trimmed by hand to ensure an even cut. Line and logo painting begins a full week prior to the event.

Life on Wolfgram's crew is rough but gratifying. "They treat us very well," says Hector Olizando, one of the lawn care specialists, "one full meal a day and all the water we can afford." Living quarters are provided in a tool shed directly on the property, allowing for an extremely quick commute to work. Nights in the shed are often passed with card games, storytelling and drink.