Albany Tulip Festival 2007: The People

Our clan of Albany bloggers gathered in Washington Park for the 59th Annual Tulip Festival. More than 200,000 bulbs were planted last fall for the event and the sheer amount and number of varieties* was amazing. The day started off a bit chilly but quickly warmed up. The sun was out the entire day except for a few brief spans of high clouds that gave us some relief and lulled us into a carefree sense of self protection. Call me KFC 'cause the skin on the back of my neck is Extra Crispy. Forgot the sunscreen. Doh!

There were quite a few attractive folks in the crowd. Considering attendance was pegged at upwards of 40,000 people the odds were pretty good. And someone in our group, who shall remain nameless (no, not me), boldly stalked the real head-turners with his camera in tow. The poor shorts-wearing mailman that ventured into the park on his lunch break was quickly set upon by a clandestine operation to commit the image of his legs to (digital camera) memory.

But for every good-looking person, right behind them were 20 scary hillbillies that had loaded their beer, cigarettes, and kids with strollers into their Dodge Darts and headed down the mountain out of the woods and into the city. The crowd was extremely well behaved despite the availability of alcohol and a minimal police presence.

Here's a look at the people I caught on camera in the park:

Blogger A Work In Progress:

Blogger Idle Eyes And A Dormy:

Blogger It's Just Nothing (on the left) and friend James:

Joan Jett was the headline attraction at the event. She and the Blackhearts played their hits and a few new songs in a set that lasted about an hour. It was a free concert and the crowd was rather leisurely in their support for the band. Everyone was mingling and chatting with friends and J.J. was playing the background music. I suspect it would have been a completely different vibe if folks had paid to see her — you would have had hardcore fans there singing along with every song. This was an open air stage and she suffered from a sound system lacking in power and volume.

We spotted this Britney Spears wannabe guarding her bag of kettle corn and showing her cooter:
* Thanks to a tip from Gay Canuck In The Capital, I was able to impress my friends with some "fun with facts" — the variations in color and formation of tulips are actually the result of viruses that infected the crops in Holland in the 1700s!

Next post: Albany Tulip Festival: The Park
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