Bele Chere 2009

Bele Chere is a street festival that's held the last full weekend in July in Asheville, NC. It's chock full of artists selling their wares, non profits trying to get you to get into their message, food vendors, and much more. My favorite part of the whole shebang is the watching the people who attend the soiree, I love to watch and make up stories about them in my head as they go by.

We, Sparky and I that is, do Bele Chere every year and we always seem to go on Saturday during the hottest part of the day. Sometimes we can talk some of our friends into going but this year we went solo. It was pretty hot but not as hot as it has been in years past.

This kid was typical of how people dressed their babies this year:However most other people gave their babies food or something to chew on, these folks were going in a different route. Good for them, gnawing on an empty tray will build character in that kid some day.

Speaking of food, I'm pretty sure those hippies fried the chicken and tater tots in Patchouli oil and they laced the waffles with Mary Jane.

Here's a brief summary of some the things I learned at this year's event:
Video games are not just for inside play anymore.

Some white guys can't keep their shirts on, no matter how much other white guys want them to. And by other white guys I mean me.

Kids with hair-dos like this always crack me up.

Turns out that the long lost black member of Dexy's Midnight Runners was not an urban legend after all. He's real and he was in Asheville yesterday.

The gal at the candy apple/fudge/ice cream booth is kind of okay with fat bastards who take her picture. And by fat bastards I mean me.

Some people have waaaay more balls (or in this case ovaries) than me. This chick was doing a karaoke version of Little Drummer Boy. It was Christmas in July for about three minutes.

I also learned that douchebags come in all manner of shapes and sizes. Here's 'Hong Kong Phooey Douchebag':
Here's 'Jesus Hates Anyone Who Isn't White Douchebag':
And finally we have 'Hey Look At Me, Aren't I Super Clever and Amusing Douchebag(s)':
I also learned that buskers are everywhere.

Hey look, it's the little drummer boy:
It's the angsty guitar girl:
And finally we have the white noise busker:
I also learned that superheroes walk amongst us and they dig ice cream just like we do:
But the biggest thing I learned from this year's Bele Chere was that you can take the granny out of the trailer park, but you can't take the trailer park out of the granny:
I'm betting she was on her way to eat some of that patchouli fried chicken, get the letters 'G-I-L-F' tattooed on her lower back, or to see if Spiderman would shower her in a stream of his hot wet 'webbing.'

Oh Bele Chere, how I love you and I'm already looking forward to seeing you again next year!