I always tend to stand near people at the bathtub races at Lisbon’s Sauerkraut Days who do not know what to expect.
Much like Sherene’s column last week, I do always try to be the best promoter at these events and explain the rules as I know them, so people aren’t as lost as I was at the first event I attended. I also let them know that as long as you’re on the street watching, you’re within the splash zone. It’s part of the fun of these races. Sure, the target in the middle with the riders and people pushing willing to take numerous water balloons and hoses full of water – that’s definitely the primary target.
But then you have the teenagers lobbing water balloons at their friends across the street that always seem to be in front of other people. And, well, many errant water balloons splash on you.
Within the first 10 minutes I had taken my first direct water balloon hit of the day, and as long as it didn’t hit the camera, I was definitely okay. It was warm and the balloon exploded on impact, so it was definitely a reprieve. After the second or third group of racers, these new neighbors took a couple direct hits themselves and that was enough for them.
Fast forward to a city council meeting on Monday, and what do you know but that same couple was there to talk about a safety issue they had noticed on their road as they were driving, a speed limit sign covered by foilage that chief Doug Shannon and Eldon Downs said would get taken care of.
But it was also a chance to continue interacting and promoting these communities I love and the activities here within. “There’s always a monthly festival of some type in the communities to attend.”
Sure, not all of them end with you wet. But they leave you with memories and times with friends, new and old.