Downtown Fun

Bl'reader,

There is a lexical argument that has been running among the underground grammar circuits. It's divided families, turned brother against brother, dog against owner and friends against friends...
What is a buttload?
How much constitues such an amount? At what point does "buttload" revert to "crapload"? Is crapload < buttload or vice-versa.
This seems foolish to you, superficial.
Well, bl'reader, I'm simply trying to be accurate.
I don't know whether to call the crowd which turned out for Florence After Five in Downtown Florence a buttload or a crapload.
Starting at 5:30 p.m., people began accumulating in downtown Florence on the grassy plain across from Central United Methodist with their lawn chairs, sun hats, lotion and flippy-flopies. The Woody's drew a crowd and the vendors kept customers well-fed and saturated in drink, both alcoholic and otherwise.
There were actually people walking the sidewalks, looking at stuff. They weren't scared. They were curious, going for walkie-walks. Vintage shop owner Renee Bazen - after chastizing me for forgetting her store (Vintage Vogue) and Sandy Sewell's store (S & J Antiques) in the downtown action listing in 8 Days (much deserved, I suppose) - said she was staying open until 8 p.m. and that people were wandering into her shop, looking at things.
It seems minimal, those types of things, but I mention them only because that's what happens in a normal downtown and it happened in Florence tonight.
Things tapered off after 7:30 p.m. as The Woody's played their last set, but what had been proven had been proven.
Several Florence residents went because they were excited about more action in downtown.
Some went to see if the event would actually happen (it's a skepticism that's rampant among Florentine...I had a discussion with my editor just a few moments ago about it....it hails, we decided, from years of being let down).
Down the street from the vintage shops the Metamorphosis Art Collective art show attracted notable attention in Treifer Johnson's Irby Street studio/loft. Thai House 2 had a nice bit of run-off from the event.
Everyone, it seems, won on this one.
But now the real work comes.
Any long-time Florentine knows what I mean.
The real work comes now because that momentum has to be maintained. The City of Florence and Florence After Five planners need to prove that this is not just another flash in the pan, another whimiscal shot in the dark that fades after two or three months. They need to be creative. It means listening to Florence residents, as Tim Norwood (whose business Victor's Bistro sponsored the event) said, and providing entertainment that will attract Florence residents downtown.
The Woody's are good bet for downtown Florence entertainment and crowds. Now, they need to start being creative. What else can be added to the events?
There needs to be, in the words of Art Trail Gallery volunteer Dr. Jane Madden, cross-promotion.
It's a beautiful word and it's key to keeping Florence After Five and downtown life in Florence alive.
People love music, they liked Florence After Five, but they need more than one reason to come downtown otherwise they'll leave once they've gotten their fill of the event.
Here me Florence After Five folks? I'm sure you do. I'm sure you've thought this out and I'm not being facetious when I say that. I think you have because Florence After Five was an ambitious and positive event for Downtown Florence.
Good show, folks.
Now, step it up a notch.

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