Paducah Summer Festival
Well, it is officially underway!
The Summer Festival, that is...right down the street from our home.
Look what is planned for this weekend alone:
Click here to see festivities galore!
Lots of fun to be had, junk food to eat, Amish people to wonder about and mullets to spot.
(although, I would like to mention, not all summer festival men-folk are sportin' mullets and USA-kicks-ass tees. Some, in fact, are downright adorable farm boys that would make even the most sophisticated city-savvy woman blush)
I think we might even enter our first 5k run together tomorrow morning... can you believe that?
Us? Running? On purpose...... at 8am?
To quote the Notorious B.I.G..........
"Things Done Changed."
But don't even think we're gonna miss the Skid Row free concert on the Waterfront next weekend. Things haven't changed that much.
No way, dude.
Mark and I are going to break out our finest metal-wear and rock out...
Seriously, a bandana around one's ankle just makes the rock 'n roll take over!
Woo-hoo!
I l-o-v-e summer!
The Summer Festival, that is...right down the street from our home.
Look what is planned for this weekend alone:
Click here to see festivities galore!
Lots of fun to be had, junk food to eat, Amish people to wonder about and mullets to spot.
(although, I would like to mention, not all summer festival men-folk are sportin' mullets and USA-kicks-ass tees. Some, in fact, are downright adorable farm boys that would make even the most sophisticated city-savvy woman blush)
I think we might even enter our first 5k run together tomorrow morning... can you believe that?
Us? Running? On purpose...... at 8am?
To quote the Notorious B.I.G..........
"Things Done Changed."
But don't even think we're gonna miss the Skid Row free concert on the Waterfront next weekend. Things haven't changed that much.
No way, dude.
Mark and I are going to break out our finest metal-wear and rock out...
Seriously, a bandana around one's ankle just makes the rock 'n roll take over!
Woo-hoo!
I l-o-v-e summer!
posted by anessa arehart at 7/22/2005 09:01:00 AM
6 Comments:
Wow. I'm really proud of you guys running that way.
Can't wait to hear about the festivities!
Anessa:
This sounds like fun! But now, a curious comment, when I clicked on your link for the pics of the Summer Fest it went to a 2003 page and I must admit that I was a bit taken aback when I saw the photo that they had listed under "Watermelon Fest". When in context with the other images on the page It just seems to hint at racial sterotyping, or is it just me being hypersensitive? It looks as if, based on the page, that with the exception of the two African-American fellows backing up "Toya" that the only event that they were a part of was the Watermelon Fest.
Ooh.
Yuck...
I hate discoveries like this.
I sure does seem to hint at some really uncomfortable stereotyping ... I don't think you are being overly sensitive at all.
When I went back and looked at the page more closely I was also surprised to see the watermelon-fest photographs......
WOuld you believe I looked at every single one of those photos the other day and it didn't even occur to me.
Either way, while I cannot whole-heartedly defend this southern city's high motivation to pull it's weight in the battle to end racism...I can assure you that the racial tension here in Paducah in not as bad as you may imagine.
In fact, one of my first discoveries and comments to Mark when we moved here was that I was actually jolted by everyone's seemingly genuine friendliness towards me. Black and white....men and women...old and young. Everyone looks you in the eye, says hello and smiles...good afternoon, etc....whatever. It's nice.
I guess that could just be on the surface....and it could just be my rose colored glasses distorting the view.
I may be living in a fantasy world, but it seems that those photos might have been an unfortunate fluke......or maybe just a bad coincidence...or maybe ...hopefully not....some back-assward city worker was trying to make a really bad attempt at expressing his/her passive aggressive low opinion of others.
Thanks for pointing the photos out to me and giving me a chance to defend myself...I would hate for anyone to think I promote such ideas.
Boy, now I'm worried that my last comment didn't come out the way I wanted it to...
This one:
" while I cannot whole-heartedly defend this southern city's high motivation to pull it's weight in the battle to end racism.."
I want to clarify that if it was in fact, Paducah's goal to pull it's weight to end the battle against racism, I fully support the endeavor.
However, I'm afraid it is not, in fact, on the front burner for some of the locals and I cannot pretend it is by defending the city as a whole...not just yet anyway.
Did that make sense?
i live in paducah. Blanket racism is what makes paducah the town that it is. You wouldn't notice racism in paducah unless you are a minority. this is when you are reminded that you are not white. 90% blacks make less than 18,000 annually, while kentucky's median is 21,000. Blacks make up 5% of the labor market. 85% of whites in paducah make over 40,000 annually. These are facts. Whites make up 90% of the population in paducah and 95% percent of the labor market.Kentucky is also being sought out by offshore nations for developing businesses, because the average minimum wage pay is one of the lowest in the country, while retail is high (perfect for stratification).
Point taken.
I guess it would be difficult for me to judge racial tension, at least in this sort of situation.
Thank you for your comment.
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