Stormy Weather

The rain and wind that blew through town today puts me in mind of that Labor Day weekend back in 2003 when we all damn near drowned as the first Kansas City Irish Fest at Berkeley Park was washed away by somewhere between 9 and 13 inches (depending on who you believe) of rain. Trucks stuck in the mud, the trucks that came to pull those trucks out of the mud stuck in the mud, thousands of soggy programs, unbaked pizzas, decorations and signs heaved into dumpsters. Bale after bale after endless bale of hay spread around in a futile battle against the deepening mud. A long year's worth of work washed away, and a lot of bruised if not broken hearts, including my own. It still gives me a queasy feeling to think about it, all this time later.

All of which leads me to say, and I think I speak for all the organizers of our now dry and thriving little hooley: Thank you Crown Center. Thank you Neighborhood Tourist Development Fund of Kansas City, Missouri. Thank you sponsors, one and all. We love you.