Guest Blog by Barbara in Robbinsdale
Well, OK, we’re going to the Renaissance Festival. I haven’t been for about 10 years, since it’s crowded and hot and sticky and dirty and smelly… But Mario (my step-son) and the girls – Janaina, 4, and Elia, 7 – were here visiting, so we’ll go, on one of the last 90° days in August.
Surprise #1 – I’d forgotten how much fun it is to go to a festival with little kids: everything’s fresh and new! Once the girls see people in costume, they put on their fairy wings as we head to the flower garland booth staffed by the girls’ aunt Lyra, and Voilά! they have garlands. Two other cousins arrive and they get to do a few rides, including The Ponies and (with Mario) The Elephant.
Surprise #2 – We usually don’t stop to watch any of the various performers, but we get hooked by Tuey the Tightrope Walker/Juggler, who it turns out is also a pretty funny guy. Everyone gives rapt attention for a blessed half hour of sitting on benches.
Surprise #3 – I’ll bet the most memorable, though, will be the booth called Vegetable Justice. As is happens, Mario’s brother Jesse has the job of being pelted with tomatoes, while hurling insults at The Pelter. The little kids even get a turn throwing at Uncle Jesse, with insults coming back along the lines of “I’ll bet you still wet the bed!” Perhaps the wildest time is had by Mario and Jesse, when it’s Mario’s turn to nail his older brother again and again, deflecting insults probably best left unnamed. (Imagine if you had this opportunity with your own sibling.)
# No surprise – The food is still fair food, but if you look long and hard you can find some very good Spinach Pie.
A few weeks later, Husband and I head out for a Saturday at the Rock Bend Folk Festival in St. Peter, on the recommendation of Krista in Waterville. Not only is the weather infinitely better, a sunny day in the 70s. There’s also less ground to cover, as it’s contained in Minnesota Square Park, and has a cozy, small town vibe. We arrive before 2:00, have already missed a couple of groups. While Husband settles in on the blanket near the Pavilion (main) Stage, I go to the smaller Joyce’s North Grove Stage and look up Krista, who seems like a long lost friend; we’ll be able to talk more later.
Surprise #1 – What a line-up at the Pavilion Stage! Abalone Dots, four young women from Stockholm, Sweden singing and playing their brand of “softgrass”. April Vetch, who performs virtuoso step-dancing and fiddling (sometimes simultaneously), is a joy to watch. Willie Murphy in the evening as we were leaving…
Surprise #2 – …and City Mouse and Friends: “Good Time Music! Their folk-rock blues” had me mesmerized with a vibrant array of musical styles – what a range this band has! – so that I almost missed this tidbit during the introductions: …” Dave Pengra on bass, and his brother Mike Pengra on drums…” I sit up and stare at the drummer – could that be OUR Mike Pengra? I sneak in closer to where I can get a good look and… yep, that IS our Mike! It explains all kinds of hints from Krista when blogging about Rock Bend… You may like to know City Mouse was inducted into the Minnesota Rock and Country Hall of Fame in 2007.
Surprise #3 – Krista had been holding out on us! (She has since come clean.) Not only does she help make this festival happen; she also plays in an acoustic folk trio called Flathead Cats on the North Stage! She has a beautiful voice, and she plays guitar, a mean mandolin, recorder(s) or flute on some of the Celtic numbers, tambourine… Love their music, a thoroughly eclectic mix.
# No surprise: – The food is still fair food, but the Pulled Pork Sandwich is out of this world.
What’s your favorite kind of Festival? Do you have a Festival tale to tell?
Trail Baboon 
thanks, BarbaraiR! great descriptions and a nice way of presenting them.
festivals i like up here:
Wurst Fest (with the Wurst Band and the best wurst) at TJs in Mahtowa end of May
Highway 61 Folks Festival in August (also in Mahtowa – a happenin’ town!)
Harvest Festival and Energy Fair – Lake Superior Sustainable Farming assoc. w/ the Lake Superior Energy assoc. – music, farmers’ market, things to learn about and the food is terrific! mid-Sept.
Annual Barn Awards Festival (here in early January – awards given to the goats and sometimes humans for previous year’s performances. food is red clover/grass mix hay)
another beautiful day up here – hope there also
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Nice reporting, Barbara! We really do have to get back out to Renn Fest soon.
My favorite festival is the Shepherd’s Harvest at the Washington County Fair Grounds in Lake Elmo on Mother’s Day weekend. It is my big Mother’s Day indulgence.
Lots of wool, knitting, spinning and weaving. Lest the s&h be totally tortured by all of that, there are also sheep, alpacas, angora bunnies (there is often a woman there who spins the fleece off a bunny that is sitting calmly in her lap!), border collies and GOATS! The food is fair food, and while the Wash Co. 4-H does serve lamb burgers and brats as a fundraiser, they also have some vegetarian alternatives for the tender of heart.
Ideal weather involves a cool and overcast day, no drizzle please.
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Rise and Shine Great Ape-Fest:
Still breathing through a stuffy nose — my husband is complaining of my snoring with this cold (LIKE HE CAN TALK ABOUT THAT ONE!). This virus seems to go on and on per reports from those that gave it to me.
Love the topic and the pix B i R — darling grandbabies.
My favorite festival experience for years was the State Fair Morning Show, that lively, eclectic, quirky shot of music, hide-and-seek, and whimsy. ‘Nuff said. I also enjoyed the State Fair attractions later. I love the Ren Fest every few years, County Fairs, Art Fairs (Edina, Excelsior, Uptown…..). I’ve not ever been to the May Day Parade, but it is on my list.
Barbara and Krista: maybe next year we organize a Baboonish caravan to Rock Bend!
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Good to see you up, Jacque. I started my post before yours went in.
I wanted to mention my favorite Morning Show State Fair memory. It was when Ann Reed sang:
It took some time but now I find
The heartbreak of this place
The shocked and frozen look
Upon some FFA kid’s face
If her pig should lose
I s’pose that’s only pure dumb luck
But if her pig’s a winner
Then she’s next year’s Pronto Pup
I remember being shocked and thinking, she can’t SAY that, can she? What a memory!
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good smile steve thanks
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Love IT
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It doesn’t feel right to blog before Jacque has bid us to rise and shine, but I fear Jacque isn’t doing much rising or shining as she fights this “what’s goin’ around” bug. Get well, Jacque. We all share your pain, although I darn well don’t want to share your bug.
Your fun descriptions of festival activities, Barbara, reminded me of taking a 12-year-old to the RennFest. He was stunned to see that in that festival the adults acted bratty and irreverent like 12-year-olds. He never wanted to leave.
My own festival memory–to my surprise–turns out to be bittersweet. Our family went to the RennFest in 1996. We did fun things but were not able to have fun doing them. I remember taking a picture of Molly, my daughter, at one of the pavilions; she was just short of bursting into tears. I knew why. Molly and I have always been close. Our family’s RennFest weekend was just days before we would all fly out to Puget Sound to install Molly in her dormitory to start her college career. While Molly and I had dreamed of what college could mean for her–and the best of those dreams, incidentally, all came true–we dreaded separating.
It reminded me of when I helped Molly learn to ride a bicycle, a process that ends when the parent stands alone on the sidewalk watching that tiny figure wobbling away, a metaphor for the way we love children and try to make them independent so they will leave us. And if that isn’t a complicated emotion, I don’t know what is!
It was so odd. We walked through the earthy, loud, smelly world of the RennFest. Costumed characters insulted us and each other. Wenches with exposed cleavage called lewdly to us. Beggars and rat-catchers and costumed actors swirled around us. And through it all the two of us fought tears as we wondered what momentous changes the next several years would bring.
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Thanks for good wishes. Would be glad to share the virus!
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i sent mine to eau claire and that was the correct distance for them to be away from home. two of them went there, 1 is back and in the basement and the other just moved back to go to the u of m. i have one more on the way next year and he is trying to decide among colleges that are away but not too far. chicago, iowa, nd, kc, omaha and madison are in contention.
fun to raise em, fun to see em go off, fun to have em back. life is a festival, its just a long time between acts sometimes. pay attentions and enjoy it while its in front of you. there aren’t replays on life fest, you have to enjoy the moment.
life is a carnival by the band can be the earworm for the morning
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Mine went to Iowa State, came back after a year, then back again 18 mos. later. Now he is all grown up and I doubt if he will need the emotional and monetary support again (knock on wood). He may never get a degree but he has great job skills (computers) and really should be an inventor somewhere. He did not want to write the thank you notes for HS graduation gifts. So I told him to do it while we drove down to the campus. He still did not want to, so I told him if he didn’t I would stop on the side of Interstate 35 and wait for it to get done. His entire Senior years was like that which made it less painful to let him go, unlike your heartwrencher Steve.
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My emoting (and Molly’s) might sound extreme to you folks with multiple kids. I had just a single kid, and that was somewhat late in life, so the emotion that might have been spread over a whole brood got concentrated on one remarkable young woman.
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You bring tears to my eyes…
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the river bend is my new favorite .i was there with you and we just didn;t know it. i saw mike and krista, it was wonderful. music, old hippies, perfect weater very nice,
winnepeg folk festival is great but a major commitment. the state fair is a fav. a couple times a year is not enough, disneyworld in orlando is in reality a 365 day festival. a little over orchestrated but what a presentation. fresh and wonderful every time. the renaissance festival is always interesting the puke and snot shows and the fun little side bits going on all over the place (and we did love the tight rope juggler and his bit) and of course twins fest. go twins. you need to be a fan but if you are it is very cool.70 in october. if it wasn’t for the fact the world is coming to an end and minnesota is becoming texas with norwegians and 3 weeks of snow, i would be able to enjoy it.
thanks barbara, great topic and descriptions. the munchkins do make the difference don’t they?
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Greetings! I don’t get out to many festivals or fairs, but a trip to Rock Bend with other babooners next year sounds like a great idea. My favorite will always be the Renaissance Festival with the characters, interesting booths, excellent crafts and a chance to be thoroughly insulted in a fun, and sort of Old English way. Haven’t Puke and Snot retired yet — they’re getting old! Probably the same script, although it’s been many years since I’ve been there. It may be fair food, but they have interesting things like gyros, frozen orange halves and spinach pies like Barbara mentioned. I still remember the cart and peddlers going around proclaiming and selling “The Kings’ Nuts” as they sold nut confections and divinity. Of course, it would get bawdy. And never, EVER ask one of the townsfolk where the bathrooms are as they will loudly shout, “Make way, make way — this lady needs to use the privy! Make way!”
One year (before children), we went with a friend of ours. As we made our way through the grounds stopping at booths, our friend was a curious and talkative fellow. He would strike up conversations with artisans and we learned quite a bit about a variety of the crafts offered. Fascinating day.
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Hate to tell you, but one of the Puke and Snot guys died a few years ago. Can’t remember of what.
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However, there is a new “Snot” and he is excellent. And they do a new routine every year.
Going to RenFest and StateFair is still something the teenager likes to do with her mother. This year we did State Fair on Saturday and then RenFest on Monday (Labor Day). My dogs were barking after that weekend!
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yeah but he got to be puke or snot before he died. he felt fulfilled i hope
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Heart attack is what I recall. The story goes, the one (I can’t remember which either), was out at the Festival site waiting for the other so they could get in some rehearsal before the MN show started…and waited and called and…yeah.
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Powderhorn May Day Festival, my springtime touchstone. Some years, friends throw a brunch before we walk up to Bloomington Ave. for the parade, while on others we park ourselves on the hill, wait for the parade to straggle by, and watch the pageant. They have microphones now, but we still can never hear the script, so we guess back and forth about what’s going on until the Sun comes across the lake, all the giant puppets dance and everyone sings “You Are My Sunshine”. It was literally started by hippies, and the progressive/DIY spirit is still alive and well. After I’ve had some more lessons, I want to volunteer for the pageant drum circle.
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The last time I was there for the parade I was moved to tears.
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I have thought off an on about gathering friends and making a puppet or float for the parade – maybe when Darling Daughter is a little older (and more focused), she and I can do it. Love the spirit of May Day and all that they do with it.
(BTW – I responded late yesterday Crow Girl, but yes, I do go to Convergence. That’s the only con I get to these days, though. Probably have seen you without knowing it.)
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Convergence is a good choice if you only do one con a year. Since they comp you for volunteering for panels, I always do 3 to 5, but I’m the only one from my poetry posse that goes, so I don’t read there. Did you ever take in the Lady Poetesses from Hell at Minicon? That was us!
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Ah yes, the Lady Poetesses. I’m pretty sure I have been to a panel or two with that group (heck, I probably even scheduled you when I was working on programming for Minicon ‘lo those years ago).
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I went to the Powderhorn May day Festival once many years ago and I would like to go again.
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I’ve never gone and would like some day to go!
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Great topic, Barbara. We had many great moments at the Winnipeg Folk Festival. Like Tim said, it is a big commitment, but easier if you know the city well or live there. Our friends would go out early and get campsites, so we could all be together, and one of our friends was always the first up to participate in the morning tarp run so we could sit close to the main stage. I had never really heard live folk music until I went to the festival, and it really changed my musical outlook and tastes. Over the years we heard Stan Rogers, Los Lobos, Louden Wainright III, Riders in the Sky, Bruce Cockburn, The Roches , Queen Ida, Peter Ostrushko, Jethro Burns, John Hammond, Spider John Kerner, KD Lang, Connie Kaldor, Wailing Jennies, oh, the list just goes on and on. Now I’m getting home sick!
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I’ve always wanted to go, Renee. That’s the Big One (except, I s’pose, for the Newfork Festival). The best I can do is to catch some of the best acts at Winnipeg while they are on the road traveling to or from the festival. The Big Top Chautauqua usually snags an act or two traveling in connection with that festival.
KTCA (back when it was that, not TPT) had a wonderful one-hour tape of the festival. The Roches were young then, smoking hot, and Peter Ostroushko was slim. Dave Von Ronk was bombed out of his gourd!
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i saw the roaches when there were four of them at the guthrie. that was memorable, you are making me want to get back to winnipeg.
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Tim – I saw the Roches (all of them) at the Guthrie many years ago as well. Always loved their stuff — especially the a capella Halleluja Chorus.
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I saw the Roches at the Guthrie, but there were only three – Maggie, Terre, Suzzy. Who was the fourth?
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i knew newfolk wasn’t hitting my ear right. its newport folk festival
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Okay, okay! And it is Roches, not Roaches (a word about bugs or the stubby ends of funny cigarettes).
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Good morning and a festive morning to all,
I think I would have gone to the Rock Bend Festival if I hadn’t been on vacation at the time. I’ve been to it in the past. Now that I know that Krista and Mike Pengra are involved and that some of you are planing to attend next year, I will definitely make an effort to get there.
I guess most of my favorite festivals are ones that I have special reason to attend. Festivals with good music and/or good food are always favorites. I can’t fail to mention the Garlicfest, held at the McLeod County fair grounds in mid August, which has very excellent food by top chefs from our area. This event is staged by the Crow River chapter of the Sustainable Farming Assoc. I have been a member of SFA for many years.
I also very much like going to festivals where there are people that I know and certainly enjoyed going to the Radio Heartland show at the fair. Dale and Jim Ed did some live broadcasts of the Morning Show and I really enjoyed one that I attended that they did in St. Peter. I’m sure many of you know that Dale is hosting a show on Friday night at the Sinclair Lewis Writer’s Conference in Sauk Centre. I assume this is open to the public but I don’t think I make it to this event.
The festival where I really go crazy is the annual summer meeting put on by the Seed Saver’s Exchange in Decorah, Iowa. I get to visit with a lot of other seed savers and we just can’t stop tallking. There are also lots of good work shops and talks, including people like Debra Madison who is an SSE board member and who gave a wonderful cooking workshop. I also enjoy participating in the seed swap at this meeting. The last two years there have been excellent presentations by Glenn Drowns who does amazing work on saving heirloom poultry as well as doing very extensive work on seed saving.
Of course, I also really enjoy going to any festival where the Orange Mighty Trio is playing, partly because the trio includes my son-in-law, Zack Kline, but also because I really enjoy hearing them play their great music before a live audience.
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jim as a seed saver do you plant the seeds to get more seeds or just keep them in a jar for genetic historical backup? mostly crops or flowers? mix? interesting hobby and subgroup. give us a couple seed saver stories please
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I do have a fairly large collection of rare seeds in storeage, but they are all seeds that I produced myself and exchange other people interested in rare seeds by making them available in the Seed Saver’s Exchange Yearbook. If you join SSE you can order seed from the yearbook. About 800 people list seeds they are saving and most of them would like people who get seed from them to start saving that seed and to offer the seed in future issues of the yearbook. SSE has many members who don’t offer seeds in the yearbook and members can get seeds listed in the SSE yearbook which they don’t plan to offer in future issues of the yearbook.
At one time many gardeners grew and saved their own seeds and I think it should be a more common practice today. Part of the fun of saving seeds is the story that goes with the seed. I have a tomato that came from my Uncle who got the seed from a German family and many of the other seeds I have are special to me due to the place or the person I associate with the seed. All of the seeds I have that I exchange are at least somewhat rare and many are very excellent vegetables. I save some seed for my own use that isn’t rare.
I also save a few flower and herb seeds and there is an SSE flower and herb seed exchange, but I don’t participate in it. Fruit and some grains are included in the main SSE yearbook, but I am not currently saving any fruit or grain.
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Jim – I’ve bought my seeds and starters from Seed Savers Catalog for years to plant in my EarthBoxes, so I really appreciate what you’re doing. I’m just not into the seed saving part myself. I’ve wanted to get to their festival in Iowa, but haven’t made the trip.
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looked up orange mighty trio on google and see they have played the cedar. let us know when they come round again there or somewhere else. i like the music blend and zach’s fiddle is very nice.
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I will let you know about any places where the trio is playing. . I think the last place they played in our area was the Red Stag Supper Club and I think they might be playing there again before long. They will be playing at the Cedar early next year.
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Thanks for the reminder about the Sinclair Lewis Writers’ Conference, Jim. Here’s a link to the Friday night event with Dale hosting: http://www.saukherald.com/ftp/writers/celebration.html
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Good luck to Dale!
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Jim CG:
I’ve been to Seed Savers. I have an heirloom geranium that we have kept going for 4 generations. Do they want those kinds of seeds?
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I like geraniums, but I am trying do a better job of taking care the plants I am now growing and probably should not give in to the temptation to add to my collection at this time.
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heck with him. i ‘d like a seed or two.
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Having worked at Renaissance Festival for longer than I care to admit (now “retired”), it is a very different experience for me. The magic for me, as a former village idiot (really) was finding a kid during the day who could share the joy of just being there and playing. I would sit and blow bubbles, play in the dirt, build with blocks I had made, eat everything and anything (including linguine) with my fingers, and generally be really in touch with my inner-5-year-old…great fun. And after hours is a whole ‘nother Festival – but best not to go there as I might incriminate myself. 😉 It’s very different going back now in plain clothes – I was never one to get into the insults or privvy runs, just not my thing and I recoil when people try to pull it on me when I go back. Seeing it all through Darling Daughter’s eyes does bring back some of the magic, though.
Oh, and I can highly recommend Zilch the Tory Steller should any of you not have caught his act. Very funny. He tells stories (generally well-known fairy tales) in Spoonerisms (e.g., Rindercella and the Stwo Tugly Ep Sisters). Don’t know if he still does, but he used to do a Shakespeare show that had me howling with laughter (takes “Now is the winter of our discontent” to a whole new level).
Other festivals, well, kinda depends on my mood. After so many years at RF, large crowds are really mood dependent. Sometimes May Day, State Fair on days when we can get there before the hordes, Woofstock in Linden Hills when we remember…
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Anna, we knew one of the vendors (sold pottery including drums) and got to stay after hours and play (with) our new drum — talk about cutting loose! The dancing and drumming were intoxicating…
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I’ve heard rumors about Bacchanalian excess at the RF after hours!
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I can attest to the bacchanalian excess at RF after hours — I worked there a couple weekends during college and stayed on the grounds. Very weird.
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Ah, I knew I would learn about so many fairs and festivals from this group. Maybe at end of day I’ll compile a list…
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There used to be a fun show on the Food Network about food festivals all over the country. Because of that show, teenager and I (well, it was “child and I” back then) took a wonderful vacation to Maine for the Wild Blueberry Festival in Machias. It’s a 3-day festival complete w/ parade, vendors, street music and a blueberry-inspired musical put on my the local townsfolks. Child and I decided on the first day that we would have blueberries in every meal for the whole week… wasn’t hard at all!
And for closer to home, you can try the Great Wisconsin Cheese Festival in Little Chute, WI. Parade, carnival rides, music, magicians, kids activities and, of course, lots and lots of cheese. Festival ends w/ a cheesecake contest and after the winner is announced, everybody gets a few bites of the different entries. Lots and lots of fun.
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if you are over there the eaa (experimental aircraft association ) shindig is a cool airshow. i tried it once and it was very cool for a day. the second day was more of the same. barrel rools lop to loops stalled death spirals, old aircraft in formation is good but 7 or 8 hours is pleanty. very different than music at winnipeg
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Festivals devoted to food are always uplifting. I like the Pepper Festival in North Hudson.
Anyone know if they still have Kolache Days in Marshall?
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I forgot to mention having once attended the Common Ground Fair in Maine that is an amazing fair devoted to production of natural and organic food.
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the hardware fair in guang zhou china april 15-30 and october 15 -30 every year is amazing.
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Oooh! That sounds like great fun. But me in a hardware store is kinda like the proverbial kid in a candy store…
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Oooooooo, I love the hardware store! Costumers are never looking for a thing based on it’s actual purpose, just shape and shininess
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To get information on sustainable atriculture related festivals and events you can send an email to Anne Borgendale at communications@sfa-mn.org with “Subscribe to biweekly email” in the subject line and you will an extensive listing of these events and festivals sent to you on a biweekly basis.
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Thanks, Jim. I have Seed Saver’s envy-have never been there for a Festival, but used to hang out there in the fall, just to read by the bluffs. Were you there when Greg Brown performed? that was really tempting.
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I have missed the Greg Brown SSE concerts, but would like to go to one.
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Good morning everybaboon! Lovely morning out there. Great job, Barbara!
I’m obviously pretty biased. I’ve attended Rock Bend since the 2nd or 3rd Festival in 1991 or ’92 and I honestly don’t remember what year I started on the committee. I think it’s been 8-9 years now. The Festival has grown in a healthy way. My earlier estimate of 6,000 people on Saturday alone might have been close. The new number is 10,000 – 12,000 over the weekend for this year’s festival (Saturday more than Sunday).
So many people love Rock Bend. The people make it work. It’s free, non-profit, and truly by the people, for the people. It wouldn’t happen without all those people who work so hard for no reason whatsoever but to have a good time. I’m honored to be among them and always will be.
I’ve always loved going to the Renaissance Fest but it’s too expensive and crowded for me these days. I would have loved to have worked there. I can imagine how much fun that must have been!
In truth, I’m a lot like Anna about crowds. As I get older, crowds get harder for me to handle. I’ve never been a big fan of the State Fair and have only been there for work assignments in the DNR info booth over the last 15 years. (I listened to Ann Reed write the songs and to “Where’s Eric?” but never attended. Many of you must have been there!)
Another good music festival is Tree Frog Music Festival in Faribault. It’s always the weekend after Rock Bend in a small, pretty city park near the Straight River. They get a good line-up of musicians every year. City Mouse has played several times. That said, I never go to it. It doesn’t have the same kind of soul. It’s really expensive at the gate, they have lots of corporate sponsorship and you must buy only the beer they sell there (no coolers allowed). After the FREE, non-sponsored and non-commercialized Rock Bend experience, it’s really hard for me to go there. I know some of the people involved in it and they work hard and I do recommend it for the music, but I don’t go. I’m usually exhausted anyway.
We should identify a meeting place for next year at Rock Bend. I’m always at Joyce’s North Grove stage at the north side of the park. It would be fun to have a Baboon Congress there.
Thanks for doing such a great job on a topic that is so close to my heart, Barbara!
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And thanks for the help with the Rock Bend photos, Krista.
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Afternoon Gang and Ganglettes… (I don’t know either; it just sounded right today…)
I am just skimming again and won’t have a chance to read thoroughly until later.
I spent the morning running sound for the MN Supreme Court here in Rochester. It was very interesting. They sure do pick nits — and I suppose that’s part of the job.
And speaking of children and college; my wife and son are headed to Chicago this weekend for Preview days down there. Yep; that’s going to be hard to see him leave for real. He and I sat on the couch last night watching a video and laughing ourselves silly…
Festivals? When I was a kid it was all about the county fair. Been to Ren Fest and just can’t get into it. For some people here it’s the Viola Gopher Count… for others it’s Elgin Cheese Days… Plainview’s Corn on the cob days…. Gotta go!
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i suppose the virutual festivals will be the next thing. sponser one where no one has to leave the house and you can have as many stages playing at once as you want. it would be ike sxsw but all on line. you know i like this idea. virtual festival of the week. all venuues represented. you could line up some rock stars if they could do it in their living room or practice faciltiy for you. heck you could build it around the practice facitlty go button, live or canned. what do you say gang …lets put on a show… someone can help with the sound and someone else can promote it… line up the gang of performers. just like the movoes with mickey rooney or our gang in the 30’s . cmon what do you say gang ? what do you say?
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Last two days: been busy meeting with the head cheese–a very nice man–about my impending doom.
Yesterday and Halloween: never worn a Halloween costume in my life. Favorite Halloween costume in fiction is what Principal Workman (love that name) wears to the Halloween faculty party in Jon Hassler’s “Staggerford.” Can’t tell you; you have to read it, which is required reading for all literate Minnesotans.
Today and festivals: don’t do crowds.
Vignette of the day: I bike ride on the sidewalk up to an intersection for a street crossing a busy one way street. Young man in a big pickup pulls into the crosswalk before he stops. He looks and sees I cannot cross but he just sits there for 30 seconds or more. But from the other way on the sidewalk come five college women jogging in tank tops and tight small shorts. He backs up and lets them pass in front of him. When they have gone by, he pulls back into the crosswalk blocking my way for the next minute or more.
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See, Clyde, you should be wearing a tank top and short shorts.
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Fairs, festivals, burlesque… I like them all. Brookings Summer Arts Fest is one I try to hit. Slaid Cleaves was on stage this year. I talked to him after he performed and told him all about how I became familiar with his music through Radio Heartland. He acted genuinely interested and thanked me for letting him know and for buying 2 of his cd’s.
I’m keen on the rock bendin’ fest next year. I’ll share my cooler!
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My wife had the same suggestion, while laughing hysterically.
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Oh bother – I put that post in the wrong place. Anyway, Clyde, I was going to say that if you’d had something to write with, you could have made that driver sweat a little and made him think you were taking down his license plate. Then when he started to drive off, he would have gotten a real surprise when you held up what you really wrote, “I’LL BET YOU STILL WET THE BED!”
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And with that, Donna, I believe we have come full circle!
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Donna, my sister is always deeply involved in the Brookings Art Fest. I used to go it it and to Hobo days (is that right name?).
In Mankato, traffic is driven entirely by the laws of physics and sexual attraction and not at all by laws of the state.
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Also, Donna, in a similar vein, every time we in our family are passed by a loud motorcycle, we all say “Small penis.”
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I’ve heard that’s anatomically required to ride those loud bikes comfortably.
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Good one Donna!
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