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| Former Worcester Mayor Joe O'Brien in the Batmobile |
They have the Batmobile there and I still don't go.
Let me clarify this; we're not talking about the Christopher Nolan Tumbler Batmobile, or the Keaton Batmobile or the Clooney Light Up Batmobile we're talking the classic 1966 Adam West Batmobile which I once drove 300 miles to see in person-- according to Mapquest it was .6 miles from me when I was having dinner on Highland Street and ...Still I don't go.
I can see the appeal in the event, don't get me wrong; if we were talking to me at age 10-14 I would have spent the whole weekend down there checking out the custom and classic cars with my mouth hanging open. During those years it also wasn't unusual to find me at the Worcester Auditorium at a Wrestling Match watching Mister Fuji throw a hammer lock on Chief Jay Strongbow or Andre the Giant.
I lost interest in wrestling and cars probably around age 15 and that's okay, I have enough that I'm obsessed with already so I've got plenty to occupy my time.
Even though it's not for me, I don't begrudge people who find it entertaining and who enjoy the show, and I don't believe in telling people they can't do something because I don't like it--until and unless it impacts me or other people.
And that's where the trouble starts.
Veronica knows the ambitious young lady who runs Trunk and Disorderly which sits in the location of the old great Dr. Gonzo's (who himself was not a fan of the event because it hurt his business) and she was forced to close down for the entire event because organizer's wouldn't let her go to her place of business without paying the admission charge? Are you kidding me?
It's also gotten bad in terms of the White Trash Idiots (respectfully capitalized) who are actually of all nationalities who race through the city outside the parimeters of the event doing burnouts and generally causing problems with traffic. I got stuck in a huge backup because of the Summer Nationals and witnessed two near accidents at the intersection of Madison and Southbridge Streets and Cambridge and Southbridge Street-- both would have involved muscle cars from out of state.
AND the biggest complaint I have of all is that even though I live nearly 4 miles from downtown I could hear the cars doing burnouts even in my neighborhood.
Couple this with the fact that the economic impact it actually brings in to the city may be overly inflated and actually cost us money (check out telegram.com for the story) and maybe it is time that the City gives them the heave ho.
The argument is that the city will be a ghost town during the July 4th weekend if the event is sent elsewhere, personally I think with the huge changes to downtown it's time to turn to Tina and her clan to arrange a super mega stArt Festival-- they seem to know how to get people in to spend money. An event that could be more business and family friendly would be a vast improvement.
