6 March 2010
Yay! North Texas Irish Festival! We look forward to this event every year. It’s not as amazing as the Milwaukee Irish Fest—that’s the biggest Irish Festival in the country. But, we have the second biggest one right here in Dallas, and it has grown into a truly fabulous event.
For a while, I had become less than enthusiastic about it. Our favourite band had broken up and it took the wind from our sails, as it were. Then, came my personal realization that when I don’t know the people on the stage, I am much more likely to be somewhat bored by what’s going on up there. Even when the music is good. Call it a side effect of my very minor ADD tendencies, I guess. I just need something else to do while listening. And, despite my love for music, it doesn’t play the huge role for me that it does for Kyle. For example, right now, I am sitting in a quiet house, enjoying the sounds of the birds and the wind chimes. And, of course, March was always a difficult time financially, what with my income being seasonal and starting in April. The more financially responsible we became, the less money we felt we should be spending at the festival, which meant I couldn’t really shop and truly enjoy all the wonderful artisans and vendors.
That’s when I decided it was time to start to volunteer! I got my TABC certification, and I started working the whiskey tasting. I loved it. In my second year of doing that, there was a severe shortage of folks to pour beer, and I got transferred to a beer tent—and I loved that, too! So, this year, I worked my fourth year of the whiskey tasting and my third in a beer tent. I did two shifts, which earned two admissions and a free t-shirt. I still got to hear a couple of really wonderful bands, I got to walk through the vendor areas, but didn’t have enough time to spend money, and I had a blast. Kyle pretty much spent the day at the giant, outdoor “rock” stage, with dozens of our friends coming by to see him, and sometimes spending hours there with him. After the final show (which I got to see over half of!) we were part of a group of eleven or so that descended on a Chili’s restaurant on the way home. We had a delightful time winding down from the day before heading home to two wonderful dogs that were really glad to see us. I think it was a perfect day for both of us!
I snapped this photo between my shifts, as the sun was starting to set and the light was really nice.
If you haven’t been to Fair Park lately, it’s worth the trip. The grounds have been somewhat refurbished over the last few years, and this year’s big project was the long reflecting pool between the main buildings. Complete with dancing water fountains coordinated to music, it’s a lovely, sensory addition to the park. Nicely done, Dallas!
~MB
