Two Weeks Notice

On Sunday, April 6, two weeks from yesterday, I and a couple other of your Irish Fest staff will be on the air at our local Kansas City Public Radio station, KCUR 89.3 FM asking for listener support of that great institution. We'll be pitching, as always, during The Thistle and Shamrock program between 1:00 and 2:00 PM on that Sunday afternoon.

I'm giving you two weeks notice on this because I want to burn up those public radio phone lines this year. See, we help out in this effort every fall and spring. KCUR is a valuable media partner of Irish Fest's and one of the few places you'll hear Irish music on the airwaves around here. Last fall on our Sunday afternoon we went up against a Chiefs game and, well...we fell short of reaching the fund raising goal the station management set for us.

Do you have any idea how embarrassing that is? Well let me tell you, when you don't make your goal, you feel kind of bad swiping all that pizza from the volunteer pledge takers room on your way out. This coming April 6th, with the Chiefs resting up for another year of sucking and the Royals, four games in to the 2008 season already having been mathematically eliminated form contention, we should have your full attention. And I want to meet that goal. No. I want to beat it. To smash it. To double, triple, quadriple, quinziple it. I want KCUR to have to carve the faces of the Irish Fest pitchers into a mountain side somewhere. I want other, lesser pitchers to whisper as we walk, like old west gunslingers down the NPR hallways, "that's them!" And needless to say, I need your help.

Mark that calendar now for Sunday, April 6th, 1:00 PM. Be sure to call in early so we can read your name on the air. And for the love of God, don't pledge during some other show! Write down this number: 816-235-5287. Have it memorized for April 6. Thistle and Shamrock. Fiona Ritchie and the Kansas City Irish Fest. Help me hold my head high while I fill my satchel with pledge pizza.

I'll share.