I had a fairly okay time at the Pittsburgh Memorial Day Picnic. I wanted to go down to talk with the guy who is possibly going to shoot video here for Pride weekend, and I also wanted to take down materials for our Pride Weekend.
Let me say that usually, driving in Pittsburgh tends to scare me, as I get lost so easily. I was doing pretty good, until the very end. I ended up asking a woman at the park where North Park Lodge was, and she helped me with the final leg. I found out later that a few people who live in Pittsburgh also got lost in the park, which made me feel better, oddly.
Because of parking regulation, only cars with 4 passengers were permitted to park nearby. When I arrived, there was a car with 3 passengers in front of me, so the event staff person just told me to park my car in the upper lot. As it turned out, one of the guys in the car I rode in had some mobility issues, and being able to drive right to the site meant that he didn't have to worry about getting on the bus. So, I guess I was inadvertently helpful.
When I got out of the car, I had my backpack with copies of the latest issue of Erie Gay News and some flyers. As it so happens, the very first table I came to were 2 brothers down from Erie who were vending, and they very kindly let me set out newsletters and flyers, as well as stashing my backpack. Yay for Chris and Brian!
I walked around the lodge a bit, and in one section was a large metal black mounted to the wall reading:
No Confetti Permitted in Building
which struck me as oddly specific and permanent. (Nope, not a hand written cardboard sign for the day; a big metal plaque bolted to the wall.) I was expecting that there was some kind of bizarre history, like
The Great Rip Taylor Tragedy of 1979.
Don't ask for the details, but Marge never did grow her eyebrows back and the Thornton twins still can's see a can of tuna without bursting into tears. It's hard for the survivors to visit the grave sites of those who died on that fateful day.
No, I have no clue about why the sign is in the building, but it just felt vaguely Gary Larson-esque.
I danced a fair amount (eventually.) There was one guy who looked almost exactly like a former area gay guy. He was pretty aggressive about dancing with me, and it was strange, since I kept thinking it was the person I knew.
Afterwards, I chatted for quite a while with the guy who might be coming up here to shoot video for Pride the end of June. Plans are looking good for that.
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