What Happened to Summerfest?

short answer: Karma

opinionated answer: greed.


Tomorrow is the first weekend in August. For the last three or four years, this has meant Summerfest for Brown County; for Mt. Orab.

Big name (once upon a time) entertainers, as the culmination of a summer's worth of free "Music in the Park" concerts.
A celebration of selling and crafts and community. Many of our local businesses were proud to be sponsors and do their part in creating this wonderful time.
A gathering of friends and neighbors meeting greeting and enjoying one last big thing before cool weather and school schedules and the slo-mo rush into the holidays.

The owners of Georgetown Rent-2-Own even moved their traditional back-to-school bash to the Mt Orab park, because they would be able to reach more of their neighbors, friends, and customer base. For many years they have been doing this giving back, and they did it in a big way. (Because that's how we do things here in the country.)

in 2013

last Georgetown bash

The weather was good, the friendliness was fun, and , hey, we would all run into old friends or maybe make some new ones.

The second year of the Bash being in the park, the Powers-That-Be decided that after a certain time, the bounce houses and other attractions would need to be paid for. Those collecting giveaway school supplies could eat and play until noon, which was the somewhat liquid cutoff for collecting the supplies.
Okay, this was a little different, but maybe it was fair enough. Parents and families do realize that bounce houses cost, the electric to run the fans cost, etc. Once the supplies have been picked up, and the kids have played a while, if one doesn't have the money, one can leave, or at least look around elsewhere.
It was kind of a drag, but the children who were dragged out at 8 or 9 am to go get notebooks and a hot dog were usually readily coaxed onto new and other interests.

Last year, a new "player" enetered the field. Mt. Orab Auto Mall declared itself to be THE sponsor of Summerfest, with a little help from those nice little humdrum everyday neighborhood businesses.

And the first thing we, the humble but poor citizens knew, a decision had been made to CHARGE ADMISSION to our super great summer fantastic wonderful free community event.

Huh? This humongous "SuperBusiness"  which considered itself the great savior of commerce in Mt. Orab signed up to provide an influx of cash -- and the first thing we hear is that our free party will now have a fee!

EVEN THE FREE GIVEAWAY had to pay admission fees.
(Some of us held out a hope that it would be as the year before; fees after a certain time, but No. To enter the free public neighborhood park where the giveaway was being held, one had to pay admission.)
To Get into a FREE public park.
To collect FREE school supplies.

Now, if youre a parent struggling to buy notebooks and folders -- and at back-to-school prices! -- it seems reasonable that IF you have the money you may as well go buy the stuff, doesn't it? Especially if you have many children.  You could even do so without the carnival atmosphere and prices and being out in the heat all day long. Shop in air conditioned storesc, maybe even without the whiny, hungry, thirsty, bored children along.


Is it any surprise that this year has seen fewer (if any) commercial sponsors?
Is it any surprise that out local businesses, who together made other Summerfests happen, don't want to have their efforts minimized?
Is it any surprise that they don't want to be shoved aside by Outsiders with more money? (And fewer local ties?)
Is it any surprise that no one arranged entertainment such as we have become used to?

Is it any surprise that this year's "Summerfest" has become "Buy local Brown County Day?
Is it any surprise that the evening before the "Big Day" there is one booth set up in the park, and one flatbed by the bandstand?
No rows of booths, tents, campers.
No food trucks.
No coolers.
No bounce houses awaiting inflation.

Is it ANY surprise? 

In the Dark -- and a Little Light.

I believe in Karma. I really do. The things you do reflect.

That said, I don't understand how it works at all. At least not in my life.
In my life, I think Karma may be allergic to electricity.

Back in December/January, someone from work found herself homeless. I thought about it for a while. She wasn't a close friend, and I didn't know her that well, but I have an extra (well, rarely used) room, and I've been homeless. So I offered the room to her if she needed it.
It was the right thing to do.
(She accepted.)

And, in January, during one of the few really cold spells this winter, I ended up with my electric shut off.
My payments hadn't been processed by the company. They had been made. I suspect, now, that the December payment somehow got lost in the mail. It didn't show up at Duke Energy until I began making inquiries about it.  The January payment simply crossed in the mail with the notices.

Okay, that gets straightened out I get electricity back for my birthday, HOORAY!

All is well.

Until April.
I get a whopping 1117.05 electric bill. I must pay -- MUST pay --760.61 of this bill.
Now my monthly income, after taxes, is, if I'm lucky, is 1000 a month. and 450 of that is rent.
I have been getting by with no government assistance, because according to most agencies, I make too much money (before taxes) to qualify.

I try HEAP.

There are a couple problems there. One, the emergency help program ended March 31, so there's no help there. Second, to get on PIPP, I have to have a history of no defaults on any PIPP program, ever, with any provider.

I was on PIPP when I abruptly lost my income and had exactly no income (other than a job for two weeks, trading, and selling stuff) for eight months. Yeah, I'm sure I paid all my bills in full and on time then. Yeah, yeah, and yeppers.

Back to this month.
I contacted a couple of churches. One will pay 100 if I come up with the rest. Me, not other agencies or charities. They were very specific about that.

The frustrating thing about this incidence is that I checked my bank balance one day and there was a balance showing that I read as 4000. (It was actually 40,000.)
I immediately went in the bank and told them, this is NOT my balance.
It was the right thing to do.
(I sure could have used that 4000. I could have paid my electric bill in full.)

And so I face another electric shut off. Yeah, Karma. Yay Karma.

I'll just have to deal with it.

All the other aspects of my life are coming together fairly well. Rent, health care, that kind of thing being taken care of in a timely manner.
DirecTV is being troublesome. Taking money from my account, I get it returned, they tell a fairy tale to the bank and the bank takes the money back out. Just wondering how many times I can go through this process, because they have lawyers on staff no doubt to create their lies. I couldn't get a lawyer to write a letter for a >200 fee. It stinks.

But.like the electric, I am just going to have to deal with it as it comes along.

And I will.

It's the right thing to do.