1. Recycled Art at Arts Walk? You want to know more? Ruby Reusable has the scoop! Big Surprise? Not really.
2. Despite the rain and short procession, everyone hit the procession. Its like a post-modern Olympia homecoming. Mojourner was kind enough to post up some shots here.
The Procession was considerably shorter than it has been previously.
Whether this is due to there being fewer species than in years past or
the failure of negotiations between Eli (the core organizer behind the
Procession) and the City of Olympia administration is uncertain. Eli
refused to place the City’s logo on any/all posters for the
procession–insisting the event would remain non-commercial as always.
The City’s administrators, in turn, withdrew the normal annual funding
they’d previously contributed, drew a procedural distinction between the
Procession and Art Walk, even though the former draws far more people
downtown by an order of one or two magnitudes, and now mandates the
organizers go through the City’s expensive cumbersome permit process,
unlike what’s the consideration given Art Walk by the municipality. In
short, the reduced funding and additional expense placed on the
organizers has created a shortfall. The workshop space, utilities,
supplies, and high permit fees now imposed by the City have set some
high hurdles to be cleared. It’s not at all certain they can be.Eli has given almost 20 years to the Procession. He feels it’s time
for him to hang it up after two decades though he doesn’t appear to have
groomed a successor.Olympia may come to regret its passing. In fact, Eli is counting on
just that to bridge the impasse. The benefits the business community and
the municipality derive from the Procession are obvious despite the
extra expense of police overtime and street cleanup.
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