Relatively Minor
Laughter does not have to come from a major source. It could indeed be ... relatively minor.
This past weekend, our capital city hosted the Des Moines Arts Festival, attracting thousands of visitors. The “in tents” three-day outdoor event, in downtown Des Moines surrounded the 4.4 acres of the Pappajohn Sculpture Park and Krause Gateway Center, and featured 190 of the nation’s top artists showcasing and selling their work under white canvas shelters.
On Saturday, the streets were filled with a sea of onlookers, and it was hard to tell whether my girlfriend and I were going with the flow or fighting the current. Patrons wandered in and out of the enclosures for a closer look or stole a glance as they traveled by. Canines on leashes missed their chance to experience the cultural attraction while maneuvering a pavement full of sandals and flip-flops. Smaller dogs had a leg up, though, as their owners carried them through the crowd.
My friend and I were free to roam the grounds and made our first purchases at the merchandise tent. The $28 for a T-shirt or $25 for headwear was cheaper than the home mortgage it would take to purchase a juried selection from the festival. We realized that prices ranging from the hundreds to the thousands were more than our pocketbooks could handle – not to mention trying to explain the purchase of a $500 ceramic olive as a wall ornament, without even a martini on the side.
After a two-hour tour of the grounds and being satisfied with our purchases, we decided to leave and find our way back to the parking garage.
That’s when I saw him: the mime standing in the middle of the street. The silence was deafening as he quietly approached, holding a pair of wind chimes. He wanted to be seen and not heard; the apparatus was made out of various lengths of foam tubing. I am honored to have witnessed his ingenuity, because a mime is a terrible thing to waste.
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Member of the Iowa Writers’ Collaborative
Agreed, I thought the wind chime idea was brilliant. You just need a pool noodle to start! 😂
Fun story! I want pictures!