Not many people consider the logistics of public events when they're standing watching fireworks, an arena filled with dancing children and VIPs, or noshing on a hotdog while a 50-member marching band struts their stuff down a city street.
How do they get those floats all lined up? What happens if it rains? Where the heck are they going to plug in the amplifiers?
In fact, that's probably the way it should be. It might dull the fun a bit if one considered all the promotion, red tape, volunteer rustling and backbreaking physical labour that goes into putting on a parade or public concert.
And then consider that even if you can get all the pieces to work together - you still have to depend on a fickle mother nature to provide good weather.
Being an event planner, or festival organizer, is definitely not for the faint of heart.
That's why Douglas Smith and his team deserve major kudos for not only pulling off one of the best parades this city has seen, but for also launching the new Uptown Live! event. Not to mention all the other Hyack Festival fun during the past week.
Smith was dogged in expanding the old Hyack Festival into something more inclusive, diverse and attractive to younger people. And despite naysayers, he held to his vision of what the Hyack Festival could become.
One only has to look at our online photo galleries (go to www.royalcityrecord.com) to see that Smith and his team probably succeeded even beyond their own expectations.
The streets were jam-packed at the music shows, and everyone looks like they are having a fantastic time.
And, to top it all off, despite huge crowds - there were no incidents that required police intervention.
Now, that's what we call a festival worth celebrating.
