actually, to be honest, I don’t care… at least, not all that much.
I can’t say I care for the Rose Festival very much. Or its three parades. I recognize it as a money making enterprise for the city, if not in the immediacy of its essence than in promotion, and thus I wouldn’t do away with it. But the old lady who mowed on through the children’s parade the other day has become something of a Folk Hero amongst some Portlanders, as we all are able to identify with her plight: Why are there children marching in the middle of the street I need to use to get from Point A to Point B?
I had the misfortune of winding up in the middle of the crowd at the end of last weekend’s parade. I’ll be sure to avoid that from happening again this weekend. This weekend being, somehow or other, the Big One. Bigger than the other one. I don’t know what the differation between the two parades are — what plunders through one and what plunders through the other — nor do I particularly care. I do know that tomorrow’s parade has the added nauseating effect of the viewers taping “reservations” and bolting lawn-chairs on the sidewalk.
I understand people have made it a tradition to come around with bolt-cutters and pick up a lawn chair or two. This makes sense. If I were to leave, say, my stereo on the sidewalk on any day of the year, I would expect it to be picked up by someone. Such should the case with these lawnchairs.
With all this in mind, the Portland Mercury organized a clean-up squad to walk down the sidewalks and remove the reservation tape, and perhaps a lawn-chair or two. Go to their site for all the coverage. And throw your support to Randy Leonard for his anti-taping measure.
Actually, to be honest, I don’t care all that much. Go ahead and tape it up, if you must, for the sake of… tradition? Then leave. And leave me alone. Hey! It’s all cool!