#598 Gritty in the City

Summer is short in the great northwest and it seems like every weekend is devoted to one festival or another. From Arbor Day to Harbor Days, Lakefair to Seafair, tugboat races to hydroplane races, people congregate in the parks and on the docks and shores looking for something to do.
So, as is usually the case when it comes to rare venues, different people try to cram in to the same space. And like a building with only one elevator, there are bound to be some unexpected encounters.
That’s how it was not long ago here in Olympia, when one weekend saw two major festivals competing for time, space, and public attention. There was “Sand in the City,” the annual fundraiser for the Hands On Children’s Museum and “Hempfest,” the annual hands on consciousness raiser for the promotion of childlike innocence.
Getting Sand in the City and getting stoned in the city.
Or getting gritty and no being able to get spitty. Because there seemed to be dry mouths in both festivals.
The biggest raisers of funds were the purveyors of bottled water.
Nothing makes your mouth dryer than saltwater air and sand. Well one thing. Flaming hemp takes the cake.
Or maybe the brownie.
It may have been a testimony to the corporate sponsorship mentality of our times, with insurance company ball fields and beer-sponsored rock tours, but I’m pretty sure the Doritos delivery truck parked at Hempfest was just the driver servicing the convenience store nearby.
At least I hope. Although there was a Snickers van parked close by as well.
Still, most people looked pretty happy¾for some reason¾and it was nice to see everyone getting along.
In one way, the events were quite compatible. I mean, if I were to ask your average out of town visitor what he thought of a festival that imported 70 tons of sand so that adults could make massive sandcastles and wildly imaginary sculptures on the waterfront, he may conclude automatically that such a fantastical endeavor was fueled by something called Hempfest.
Adults playing in the sand?
It’s just not your normal, mature, corporate rat-race behavior.
Dude.
America, ya gotta love it