Wayburn Sassy and the Fringe Preview

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At the last minute I got a tip from reader, Dewey Chaffee that there was going to be a Fringe preview at the Central Florida Fair. As I arrived there was Wayburn Sassy shouting at the passers by trying to get them to come in to see the show. He used every carnies trick in the book with insults and curses thrown in for good measure. What I love about Wayburn is that he is not afraid to speak his mind. Whatever thought pops into his head is immediately shouted out. Wayburn is a hoot and I hope to catch him again at the Fringe Festival.

The Fringe performances were wonderful. Two acts particularly stood out for me. They were Varie Tease and Voci Dance. Varie Tease had amazing Moulin Rouge like costumes and tense exuberant dance moves. Voci dance was a modern dance troup and the performances were sublime. There is something very rewarding about watching cutting edge performances at a culture deprived event such as the Central Florida Fair. I left the Fringe preview feeling elated and confident that the arts are indeed alive in Central Florida.

Dog Fest 2009

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Downtown near the History Center several bars and stores got together to host Dog Fest. The festival allowed dog owners to have a beer with their best friend. There was a $10 donation, and proceeds went to benefit The Cian Griffen Cystic Fibrosis Fund. At the event there were dog contests, vendors live music, food and drink and a raffle & silent auction. I got to the event late in the day and as I was sketching vendors started to get ready to leave. There must have been a dogie costume contest because I saw many dogs on the streets of downtown that day dresses in tee shirts and or Tu Tus.
A few people looked over my shoulder that day but one stands out. His name is Phil and he is homeless. He was completely taken with the sketch. He told me “Man I have to get off these streets there is so much talent out there. If I had a video camera, I would be shooting amazing footage everyday. You have no idea what I see on these streets.” He suggested I sketch at a spot where Interstate 4 passes over Parrimore Street. Apparently a large group of people call that spot home for the night. Someday I hope to bump into Phil again, I suspect he rests in the History Center Park. Who knows someday I might take him up on that suggestion.

We Love You Brooke

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Merritt Andrews a friend from my Disney Feature Animation days has started a campaign to help lift the spirit of a beautiful 4 year old girl named Brooke. She is the daughter of Merritt’s friends Amy and Rob from her hometown of Salisbury, MD. On January 4th Brooke was diagnosed with Stage 4 Neuroblastoma, a type of cancer that occurs in infants and young children. The town has rallied around this young girl and raised thousands of dollars with fundraisers and events to help with the medical bills that keep rising as Brooke goes through countless treatments in Philadelphia. There has been much media coverage of her in Salisbury, she was even given a key to the city. From video I have seen she is a spunky little girl who is bravely facing the future. Her mother in an act of solidarity shaved her own head to match her daughters. Today Brooke is going into surgery to have an adrenal gland and tumor removed.
Merritt is getting photos of all the characters holding a sign that says “We Love You Brooke“. I went with Merritt on a scorching hot Sunday and sketched her as she waited in endless lines to get the photos for Brooke. Merritt is wearing the blue hat in the sketch. One photographer, named Ed, recognized Merritt and asked her how Brooke was doing. This photographer had taken the photo of Mickey Mouse holding the sign and said he is praying for Brooke every day. Should you want to learn more about Brooke, or if you want to help in some way, visit her Caring Bridge home page. In an e-mail Amy wrote “The pictures always make Brooke so happy!”

Crane Collapses

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As I was leaving work at 5PM yesterday, I got a call from Terry about a crane collapsing in downtown Orlando at the site of the Event Center construction. I had done a sketch at this construction site before. The crane had collapsed only about a half hour before, so I immediately headed downtown. As I approached the site I heard helicopters overhead from the news crews taking video of the location. On site were 2 news trucks and several anchors giving their reports to the cameras. I simply set up between two news crews and started to sketch. While sketching I eavesdropped on the anchors to get a sense of what happened. A cable snapped while lifting a load which led to the crane boom landing on the structure.
The operator was taken to the hospital in shock but there were no injuries. The Orlando Magic for whom the Center is being constructed reported that damage from the collapse was minor.
A former construction worker who was on disability stopped by to take photos on his cell phone. He explained to me that in order to up right the crane, workers would have to cut all the cranes cables which are tangled in the buildings exposed beams. Inside the construction area, the crane is surrounded by red warning tape. A reporter said work would continue as usual tomorrow.

Johnnies Hot Dog Stand

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I must drive past this stand at least 3 times a week. I finally decided to go to sketch and get a hot dog. The stand is located in the parking lot of a Chevron gas station. I walked up to the gas pumps and sat down on one of the cement pilings. As I was sketching a woman drove up to the pump I was sitting next to and she got out and started to to fill her tank. She said to me “I thought you were going to pump the gas for me.” I said, “If you are a good tipper I will.” Another man pumping gas said “He needs to put some mustard up there, his bun is starting to bleach in the sun.”
When I finished this sketch I finally went up to the ordering window to get myself a dog. This stand is a one man show. Johnnie has a thick New York accent and the attraction of the place is how he chats up each costumer. He dropped a whole potato into a device and pulled the leaver down slicing the potato into fries which he then threw in the oil. The hot dog itself was huge, at least 12 inches. A costumer in line said “He has the biggest wieners in town”. I ordered a dog with yellow mustard and sauerkraut. It was delicious.

Kentucky Derby

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I arrived at the Jai Lai Fronton at around 10:30AM to see what kind of crowd would show up for the Kentucky Derby. As I was walking in, a small group of ladies walked out with very exotic hats. I got excited figuring there must be a crowd inside all elegantly dressed and waiting for the race to start. When I got to the simulcast room filled with hundreds of TVs, I looked around and was disappointed to find that it looked like the usual crowd. Where were the men in suits and the women in flowing dresses? I decided to sketch the room anyway and half way through the sketch the race started up. Men were screaming and cheering. I never know where to look and honestly I have no idea what horse won the race.
Much later in the day I got home and Terry told me that the Kentucky Derby was going to start at 6:30PM! The race I had witnesses at the Fronton wasn’t even the Kentucky Derby. I did watch the race from the comfort of my living room and was thrilled that the underdog “Mine That Bird” won with 50 to 1 odds. I should have placed a bet at the Fronton, I could be rich right now. Would I ever have bet on a horse with 50 to 1 odds? I doubt it.

Spectators

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When the battle was over, all of the participants lined up in front of the spectators and aimed their muskets straight up in the air firing then all off at once. With the show over, most spectators immediately filed off to the parking lot for the drive home. The soldiers marched back to camp where they sat around camp fires and reminisced about the days events. They would rise the next day to do it all over again. This ends Civil War week at Analog Artist Digital World.

The Fallen

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An advantage of being a Re enactor is that you get to choose where you die. In a large field with cow patties and or mud everywhere a Re enactor will find the most pristine spot to die. Casualties a non existent in the beginning of the battle even though the two forces are shooting at each other from only about 100 yards. It is when the ammunition charges run out that men begin to fall. I found it interesting that following the troops were “Civil War Angels” women in uniform who would tend to the injured and dying. Note that the red was not found on the actual battle field that day, when I painted the red stripes on the American flag, I could not resist using the red paint elsewhere. When the battle was over, an announcer on a loud speaker announced “resurrect!” and all the dead rose back on to their feet. The audience then cheered.

The Heat of Battle

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Field report from Captain Clay Kearney of the 2nd Florida Volunteer Infantry.
Your servant is honored to submit this report regarding recent activity in the Crystal River region.
On day one, the Fifth Company was summoned to support Colonel Robert Miepert’s 5th Florida infantry. Our morning orders were to reconnoiter a region 1-mile west of camp suspected of containing enemy patrol and if any of the enemy was found, to engage them and collect prisoners if at all practicable. I am delighted to report this action was completed with total success. Our patrol commenced operations at 10 AM and returned to camp at 11:30AM with an entire Federal company under arms. This was accomplished, by dividing the company into platoons and positioning them in a way as to draw the enemy into a devastating cross fire. Reinforcements under the captain Cody, 1st Florida infantry, arrived at the most opportune time blocking the enemy’s only line of retreat.
The leadership and brilliance of the enemy’s Captain Paul Cyras of the 97th Pennsylvania, can not go without mention. Although his command was outnumbered, his field generalship was superb. The rapid movement of his troops required my command to expend at least 40 rounds per man. Upon relinquishing his sword, he was respectful to his command as were the rest of his unit. On our return march to camp, I am not sure who won the contest between Federals singing “Battle Hymn of the Republic” and our boys singing “Bonnie Blue Flag” The roar of the voices was deafening but I felt it was favorable for the morale of the men.

The Battle Begins

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Finally the moment of truth. The Union forces fired the first volley of cannon fire and the Confederate troops then followed suit. After the Union guns would fire, an explosion would occur right in front of the Confederate lines. One of those blasts caused a fire to flash up in the dry grass and suddenly the lines between fiction and truth were blurred. You can see a small group of Confederate soldiers trying to put out the blaze with buckets of water on the right side of this sketch. They did not have enough water and the fire started to spread. When the fire spread to about 20 yards wide I started to think that the tree might catch fire, then the woods. At that point a truce must have been called because Union Cavalry charged across the battle field also carrying buckets of water. With the combined forces forming a bucket brigade, the fire was finally put out.

The battle then started to heat up again as Confederate forces started to form back in the woods and they marched onto the battle field with a rebel yell. It was a sizable force and rather intimidating. As I said before, there had to be 5 Rebels to each Union Soldier.