The Party's over.....

Today is Monday and Cranfest is over for one more year. Friday and Saturday went well with many, many people. Marcie (my cousin) and I had reorganized how the many contests in the school gym would work and had meetings with the contest chair people. We thought that we were ready. But then last year's organizer showed up to "show" us all how to do it and everything went downhill from there. Blew us right out of the water. We have already come up with a plan for next year and I have already thanked the "helper" for her help and nicely told her that we can handle it by ourselves next year. I tried my best to make her feel good and at the same time was trying my best not to pinch her.
Thursday morning I was informed that we had to supply 15 tables (from Cranfest) to the Village of Warrens municipal building. The only problem was that we did not have 15 tables. OOPS! I begged and borrowed (I did not steal though) 15 tables from every place I could think of. Tables are at a premium in Warrens with everyone filling their churches etc with people eating.
My general flunky status held up during Cranfest...usually I am in the booth at the church working, but for the most part, not this year. We had so many things that happened that I got called to deal with that I spent most of my time in a golf cart running back and forth through the crowd. Then my golf cart died in the middle of Main Street and I was literally reduced to "running" through the crowd. It was great to meet and help so many, people. I was truly a general flunky BUT due to my position on the board I was a general flunky with power. I actually got to tell a vendor, actually two, that if they did not do what I was telling them, they were out of the festival. Truthfully, it kind of felt good to say it too! We have around 1500 vendors and for the most part they all set up and we don't hear from them. There are about 50 or so that make royal aggravations of themselves. They say they need a 20 feet long booth and then get here and want 30 feet; they don't like their neighbor or some such thing. Somehow it works out most of the time.
For the most part Cranfest was wonderful and people came in droves, bought things and ate food. Then came Sunday.... We awoke to 4" of rain and more coming down in buckets (Will tells me that it rained Saturday too, but I have no clue because my days are all running together.) We ladies at the church were the first people into town. Yuck! We got set up in the booth and the downstairs of the church and at 6:30 the calls started coming in. I was the only board member there. I arrived at one problem (walking in a rain poncho because I still had no cart) and found that the storm drains had plugged with debris...well, the only thing to do was to wade in and unplug them. The only problem was that there was at least a foot of water. Actually it was up to my knees. In I went and prayed all the way that there were no "things" lurking in there to get me. I unplugged that one and proceeded to walk all over Warrens with a garbage bag and unplugged all the storm drains. Not anything I want to ever repeat. You know something? I was standing knee deep in water and I don't think that I have ever felt dirtier in my life. Strange sensation.
Well the rain kept on and suddenly vendors started pulling out. They are under contract to stay all three days, but many decided to leave anyway (that leaves a problem to be sorted out later). Anyway, they decided to pull out and many made it, but many did not. Now we had vendors stuck in the rain, blocking aisles and generally making a mess of everything. When the sun finally decided to shine, there they were blocking all the people from the booths that decided to stick it out. We finally got them all sorted out, but the funny thing is that when all was said and done the vendors that decided to stay had great sales for the second half of the day.
At 1:00 the parade went on as planned. It was much shorter than it's normal 2-hour span due to the number of participants that cancelled, but it went on. In our 33 years we have never cancelled a parade.
One of the most exciting times for me was my "hot pursuit". I finally managed to get a cart back on Saturday evening or maybe Sunday morning.... it all runs together. Anyway, I was driving back to the school gym to help with some problem for the 30th or so time and noticed a red car trying to drive up to one of the booths through the middle of the crowd. I stopped him and had to keep telling him stop while a parking guy came to help him get to a parking area. We thought everything was fine, when here he comes around the block and back again. After this time when we chased him off, he came back and decided to park in the parade route in the middle of the festival. The parking attendants chased him off again and I went looking for the village police. Then I had to chase the guy all around and find him again, because he had taken off into the crowd again. Well, I found him. The cops picked him up and found his car full of drugs. What a hoot! All the people listening in on my conversation with the cops and the parking people were having a great time. It was like a Clint Eastwood movie! So, I have captured my first felon. David VanVoorhees was in the cart with me and I kept telling him to yell "hot pursuit", but he wouldn't. The least he could have done was make a noise like a siren.
Most of the vendors were gone by 4:30 yesterday and clean up began. We broke down the important stuff at the booth and left the rest for another day. We took everything back out of the school gym and brought it back to Cranfest to be sorted another day. We then started hauling garbage.... and more garbage.... and more garbage. Amanda and I left at 8:15. Will came home around 11:00 pm. Boy were we tired.

Today is Tuesday and I have just now found some time to write on this thing some more. I ended up working until 6:00 pm last night. Went to pick up Will, Amanda and the kids at my parent'’s house. We all talked until after 7:00 without realizing it. Time to hurry home and feed the restless natives again and send them off to bed. Fell asleep watching my favoriteTV show TWICE and as soon as it ended, I was out of there.

Would have loved to sleep in this morning, but life goes on. We are still working on clean up from the fest. Will and Amanda worked picking up garbage and moving bleachers etc. all day yesterday. It was our first day that actually felt like fall. Got to the high 60Â’s with lots of sunshine. Today supposed to be close to 80 again. We will see.

Jacob had a golf match last Thursday. Carrie and my Mom went. They all seemed to have a good time. I guess that Jake hides behind his golf bag when the others are hitting. Probably with good reason. There is another match this Thursday again and I hope to be there. I have to work, so I will go in early. Jacob cannot remember if this is really a match he plays in or not so we will see.

Well itÂ’s time to go back in and clean up more mess. Then I can start on our own house.

God Bless.