Pink and Red

Waterbury, Connecticut

Bike, Walker, Stilts

 

Torrington, Connecticut

People listening to performers in Coe Park during an arts festival. As always, you can click on any picture on the blog to get a much larger, more detailed view.

Waterbury Bed Races, Part Two (final)

Waterbury, Connecticut

Contestants and spectators gathered in front of City Hall for opening ceremonies and a rendition of the National Anthem. The United Way of Greater Waterbury acknowledged individuals who had worked hard to put on the charity event.

Then the racing began.

For all the funny signs and wacky costumes, the carnival atmosphere vanished and everything got serious at race time—serious and fast! These guys had been training for this.

Media coverage included a video drone (upper left, operator lower right). There were heats of three teams each.

There was music.

The Mobile Pub was open and doing brisk business.

More music, watched by the drone.

There were two semi-final heats.

The final was won by the dominant Waterbury YMCA team.

Waterbury Bed Races (part one)

Waterbury, Connecticut

Saturday saw the revival of a long tradition with the 2017 running of the Waterbury Bed Races, after a break of nearly twenty years. There's material on the event's history at its Facebook page. I was just wandering around town looking for things to photograph when I spotted The Mobile Pub, and realized something interesting must be happening.

Signs led me to the center of town where streets were closed off around the Courthouse.

The paddock was around the corner where some of the race teams were putting the finishing touches on their racing beds:

Others were ready and waiting for the pre-race parade:

Other teams were a little less prepared:

The event chairman gave out pre-race instructions:

Then the teams lined up and headed out to the racecourse.

This team did get their entry ready in time and came out in Mad Men outfits, complete with Martini glasses and cigarettes.

Baby Cocoons, $15-25

Naugatuck, Connecticut

Duck Day: Everybody's a Smart Phone Photographer

Naugatuck, Connecticut

WARNING

Naugatuck, Connecticut

One aim, going to the Duck Day festivities (see previous post), was to get away from the news for a while. Avoid the political/cultural divisiveness that floods our media. But it spills out way past the media. Or perhaps T-shirts have become a part of the media environment. This first one is actually advertising for a beef jerky company in Atlantic City, NJ. The second is simple first amendment expression, for the wearer, at least.

The Wig

Torrington, Connecticut

Tattooed White Trash

Torrington, Connecticut