Clearwater

Well, the Clearwater Revival went off with a few hitches, always does. I lost a few years off my life on this one.

We didn't have a confirmation of wheelchairs until the TUESDAY before Revival. That's right, 4 days before the festival I finally knew we had wheelchairs to loan, a MAJOR access issue for this festival. I found a few grey hairs and I swear it's because of this.

The festival itself was relatively smooth. The usual problems but nothing so out of the ordinary it couldn't be handled. In a new twist, one of my volunteers who was under 18 had a seizure and the paramedics wanted to bring her to the hospital. She's 16 and refused, but because she's underage, they had to have her guardian make the final decision. It took at least a half an hour to locate her guardian. She ended up not going and all was well.

The festival itself was fantastic. The weather held up beautifully and we actually broke the box office record. I don't know if that record is number of tickets sold or cash income, but either way, hot shit. We'll find out the numbers and whatnot at the post-mortem meeting, whenever that is.

As happens every year, I was able to connect with long time friends and meet many more. This year, volunteer hospitality was made even more hospitable when a friend of theirs brought a home made bar and proceded to make bar stools out of scrap picnic tables from the stump dump. The beer she was a flowin' and the weed she was a smokin'. I also finally introduced Brenda from Brahalla, the unofficial volunteer hospitality hang-out to the official volunteer hospitality crew. They're planning to collaborate next year.

Perhaps the best news is that the Board is FINALLY getting fed up with the festival director. Sure he may bring in a crowd, but he's an arrogant, self-important, takes-the-credit-for-everything prick. He even takes the credit for the ENTIRE festival. Including coordinators, there are roughly 900 volunteers who work their asses of prior to and during the festival, but he, of course, made it all happen. Yeah, answer your fucking radio during the weekend and we'll talk about how much you do.

Every once in a while, I'll actually try to talk to him as a person. I've learned that he's actually Mexican-American, grew up in CA and was the dark-haired immigrant kid that everyone picked on. He tried very hard to fit into CA world and American culture and basically got stuck between two cultures, not really fitting into either. Ok, so decent human being, just has a few issues. Then WHAM! Just when you think he's made progress towards being human, he shows his true colors and he's a prick again. I think I'm sticking with the "he's really a fucking prick" attitude from now on.

There's several hundred people, mostly coordinators and long-timers who are just waiting for the Board to finally axe the asshole. Party at my house when they do.