I read the news today, 200,000 folk at Richmond's Folk Festival over the past weekend. This was billed at Richmond at its best -- meaning that elements from the lower class did not disrupt the fun of suburban frolickers by behaving badly. No marauding youth gangs beating on one another, or innocent bystanders; no promiscuous gunfire or sleazy sexual encounters fueled by a drugs-sodden frenzy.
Nope, this was the sanitized, corporate city that hies itself to the 'burbs after 5 p.m. weekdays, and hardly ever looks back unless it's to the safety of the riverfront enclave centered around the Federal Reserve Bank. It's where Richmond comes to play, when it's not Richmonders doing the playing...
Speaking of the FED, one might wonder whether this kind of communal outpouring of support for the "best" the city has to offer might have been more productively applied to one of the OWS demonstrations against the corporate-security-oligarchical state, but alas, no one is worrying about that now. Everybody's too busy having fun, as you'll see:
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| The welcome mat is out... notice the dour looking guy on the left. |
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| Nice tattoo: Tele Hog |
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| Strolling along with grandiose corporate landmarks in the distance |
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| Pause for instructions |
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| Free festival besieges visitors with appeals for donations -- why not charge admission? |
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| Trepidation |
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| Inertia on the James |
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| Let us entertain you |
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| The human parade, wearing shades |
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| Take a break, for gosh sake |
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| Is there ever a moment without a word from our sponsors? |
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