There is always one thing you can count on every time the annual Summer Solstice Parade and Festival rolls around. While the beer may not be free the spirits certainly will be.
There were a lot of untethered souls whopping it up in downtown Saturday. While I'm sure no one shows up to a job interview dressed in their Solstice get-up, it's hard to imagine any of the revelers in the parade punching a time clock and working 9 to 5 anywhere. And while the unemployment rate is high, it can't be that high. Most of these folks must work somewhere. The butcher, the baker and the office mischief maker were all prancing around State Street Saturday.
Never have I seen so many costumes and so little material. And if you're looking for men who will take off their shirts at the drop of the hat, Solstice is the place to be.
I have to assume that a lot of the Solstice celebrants are from out of town. After all, having a customer or client spot you as you writhe and wiggle to the techno beat dance music at Alameda Park can't be good for business.
But then again, if you want to dance, Solstice is the safest venue in town. Compared to the Velvet Jones nightclub it's more jive and less knives.
© 2011 by Craig Smith and www.craigsmithsblog.com
