The Jazz Bash is underway.
The fence has been up since Friday
I hear vendors paid $600 a pop to peddle merchandise in the park. But not to the town.
Apparently, a permit fee to use the bandstand provides many a blind eye benefit.
Last night was an interesting scenario.
The Provincial Minister of Culture was present at a walk about. Tis said, he was invited to attend by our Federal M.P. the Honorable Lois Brown who was also present.
Aurora Councillor Chris Ballard was a member of the entourage .
Councillor Gaertner was taking money at the gate.
Granger was sighted briefly before Councillor Able, gatecrashed the party and introduced himself as Acting Mayor for the day, and welcomed the Minister to Aurora.
Talk about being disrespected on your own turf.
Whatever the arrangement was supposed to be, it came to an untimely end with sharp rolling claps of thunder , streaks of frightening lightening and a fitting deluge of drenching summer rain.
It reminds me of the last time the Minister came to town
Aurora was honoured to be chosen by the Ministry to open Library Week in 2010.
Librarians from surrounding areas were invited .. A private reception was prepared to allow the Minister to make personal contact with librarians from a distance, all brought together for the purpose.
The plan was the Ministry's own.
All was prepared. Librarians arrived in good time out of respect of the Minister's schedule. .
We waited. And waited. Embarrassed by the Minister's no-show.
Eventually the august personage arrived, guided by ex- Mayor Morris grinning like a Cheshire Cat.
The Minister had been highjacked on the way to the library to visit Church Street School. Morris' little gang were in attendance, thrilled by the success of their strategy,
It wasn't clear the Minister was in on the plan.
I deny absolutely responsibility for the storm last night.
But I would bet, in the right creative mood ,with the right associates, I could write a fitting version of a British Pantomine Farce;
Dick Whittington, Dick Whittington,
Where have you been?
I've been to London to visit the Queen.
Dick Whittington, Dick Whittington
What did you there?
I frightened a little mouse under her chair.
It's a matter of priorities. Aurora badly needed the rain. The town did not need the Jazz Festival.
ReplyDeleteIt's too bad our town cannot issue compulsory exit visas to unwanted opportunists.
ReplyDeleteThey destroy what little aura is left in Aurora.
The Jazz Festival is just like Carnival in so many countries. The locals cede all authority to outsiders & get out of town if they are able. We will never know the real attendance figures but I have heard that the thing in Toronto drew far fewer than usual this year. Hopefully the Jazz Group took a financial hit too but not likely enough to deter them..
ReplyDelete12:28 PM
ReplyDeleteMay I respectfully disagree with you? That Jazz Gang and the hi-jacked Museum are aberrations in Aurora. There is nothing wrong with the the town itself - just a few of our self-entitled, self-help residents and their followers. The aura still exists except when those two subjects appear on an agenda - which is far too often. All other organizations run smoothly without creating angst.