« By All Means, Bend | Main | Out of Control »
May 21, 2007
Tea, Anyone?
Every year over Memorial Day weekend, Chestertown celebrates Tea Party, an all-out extravaganza of commerce, gathering, consumption, and hankering that culminates in a grand reenactment of a quite possibly apocryphal moment in Chestertown's history. Yes, much like St. Michaels, the town that may or may not have fooled the British, historians suggest that the good citizens of Chestertown very well might not have forcibly boarded a boat full of nasty British regulars before proceeding to dump them inelegantly into the Chester. The fact that the yearly reenactment may lack historical precendent does not deter the good citizens of Chestertown from dressing in thoroughly colonial garb and going through the motions. It's really quite grand. And quite overwhelming, especially when it's hot outside. I, being one who dislikes both sunshine and large crowds of people, have a difficult time sucking the marrow out of Tea Party. Now that I am an official Chestertonian, the moral obligation to participate in the reenactment grows ever stronger. Novice as I am, I would likely be recruited to play the role of "duped, defeated British soldier," which would mean being doused in the Chester. Eager to avoid this fate, I schemed to come up with a plan that would keep me far away from 1) big crowds of people, 2) sunshine, and 3) the Chester River.
Here's what we came up with:
That's right, as you see on this poster by the inestimably gifted, wry, and parodic Ken Castelli, Robbi will be painting the next Idiots'Books mural this coming Friday, Saturday, and Sunday in Chestertown's own Bookplate. Our first and greatest fan, Tom Martin has seen fit to let us place a permanent installation across the entire front wall of his store. It is worth mentioning that the front wall of Tom's place is mostly glass, so while the space available to us is a full twenty feet wide, it is only 12 inches tall. With the exception of two eight foot horizontal strips of wall on either side of the front door. Meaning, this will not be your average mural.
The text recently completed (this will be an ALL NEW story NEVER BEFORE SEEN), Robbi is busy at work on the illustration. On Friday, with the help of her downtrodden assistant, Robbi will transfer the outline to the Bookplate wall. On Saturday, with the help of her demoralized assistant, she will paint in the color. On Sunday, while her worthless, unskilled assistant stands by worthlessly, Robbi will paint in the linework. This is kind of like the last mural except for the fact that we will not be sleeping on the floor of a storage room. And that every minute of our work will be on full display for the swarming reenacting hordes. That's right, this weekend we are to be a FEATURED ATTRACTION.
Which is why Robbi was asked to paint an Idiots'Books advertisement on the Bookplate window.
Usually one is discouraged from painting on other people's windows. See the opportunistic gleam in Robbi's eye?
Unfortunately I had to head home shortly after this picture was taken, which means I have no picture of the finished advertisement. But heck, what's tomorrow for? Check back then.
But in case you did not read the above poster carefully, know that in addition to the three days of what can only be referred to as "mural madness," Robbi and I will be doing our first slide-assisted reading at 4:00 Saturday afternoon. We are so certain that it will end in disaster that friends and enemies alike are encouraged to be on hand. The latter to mock, the former to support. Because what is Tea Party all about if not the convergence of friend and foe, pro and con, Colonial reenacter and British solider reenacter?
Well, for one thing, it's also about fried clams and funnel cakes. Not things to be taken lightly.
Posted by bogenamp at May 21, 2007 10:40 PM