Midnight Madness

[vakkotaur]

Early each December, on a Friday night, Fairmont has an event "Midnight Madness" where many of the shops on Downtown Plaza stay open late and have cookies and cider or such. And in the stores people can register for a drawing for a gift box. As I recall you had to be present to claim it and the drawing is held, of course, at midnight. This is all another holiday shopping promotion. But the last few years there has also been Gerry and his horse drawn trolley giving rides, starting supposedly at 8:00 PM (it seems there is always a late start) and going until a bit before midnight or when the ridership drops and there is no point in continuing. This year jmaynard and I went to see and ride.

We parked a block away from Downtown Plaza as we expected parking in all the activity to be a problem. Also, I knew where Gerry would be setting up, if he was still setting up. Gerry was done with that when we got there, as could be seen by an empty horse trailer and no trolley in sight. We walked to Downtown Plaza and started down it, looking for the trolley. We found it and got aboard. Someone saw Jay's camera (an Olympus E-10) and asked if we were (or he was) with the Sentinel - the local paper. No, just riding. I don't recall how many circuits of the area we made. Jay stepped off a couple times and walked some to take pictures as the trolley came around, as well as one or two while it was stopped.

Interestingly a lady got aboard the trolley, and she was with the Sentinel. She got Gerry's name (this was when I found out it was Gerry and not Jerry) and enough information so she could phone him later and do an interview for an article that will eventually appear in the Sentinel.

Each circuit the trolley stopped, to let folks on and off, near a crosswalk. A few folks waited till we got going again or asked if it was ok to cross with the team there. (It was.) Or if they could pet the horses. (Yes.) Many approached rather nervously - Belgians are BIG horses, after all. I suspect my main contribution to the night might well have been hopping off then and petting and scritching the horses, which seemed to assure folks that they could safely approach or pass by.

I'm not sure how long Jay stayed around, but he left for home (we took separate vehicles, expecting to depart at different times) not long after the camera batteries ran down. He said it was due to cold. I'm not sure. It might have been, but they hadn't been charged for very long either...

Once, while stopped, someone commented "Hope they don't back up now" as there was a cop waiting behind us. No problem. I found myself wishing the cop was still behind us when one car went by on a back street. Some twit kid (Drunk #1 of the night?) leaned out the passenger window and yelled "Get a f---Ming car!" At least he wasn't driving.

I didn't drive the team this year at all. I suspect I could have had I asked but I just didn't find a time that seemed right. Either there were many passengers and I didn't want to start a big thing of every kid going at it, or it was when drunk #2 or #3 of the night were around and I certainly didn't want them asking to drive the team. Also, Gerry had some help this year - some kid (I don't know his age but a bit farther down it'll be apparent he's rather younger than I am...) named Adam. Oh, I did ring the bell before the stop. I'd rather have driven, but I had a good time all the same.

Drunk #2 of the night wasn't too bad. He rode for about one circuit and while it was clear he wasn't exactly sober, he wasn't a problem at all either. He got off at or just before the stop - which just happened to be near the bar he had come from...

This being a holiday (and for that, Christmas, who's kidding who about this here?) promotion, Santa Claus eventually showed up, and eventually rode the trolley once around. He was passing out candy canes to all who desired them. Mm mm.. peppermint! I forget if it was when Santa left or a bit later but the batteries ran down on the tape player Gerry had and just then a choir/choral group or such came to ride. So the music didn't stop just then. I did find myself wondering if the bunch was just that naturally giggly or if they had been drinking a bit. They could sing well, but when they stopped, well, one wondered about them some. I think I stepped off on that circuit so I could move my car, and then I walked the opposite way around. On my way I encountered Santa again and was asked if I'd lost the trolley and team.

The last trip of the night wasn't the regular loop. A bit before, drunk #3 came aboard. He was bit more vocal than drunk #2 (but at least had better manners than drunk #1). By then Gerry had the tape going again, low, and #3 was trying to get a couple kids (who were safely with their mother) to sing along with him. They didn't care to, and #3 wasn't paying any attention to whatever the tape was playing. That was when he wasn't saying "Look at them horses!" for the nth time to anybody who might be around. When the mother & kids got off, all that were left were me, Gerry, Adam, and #3. #3 asked if we could go about three blocks in another direction to take him home. Gerry said he'd go one block. (This would keep us off of a main street - which was good as we had lost the main lights when one battery ran down.) While stopped on a back street #3 asked about control and Gerry demonstrated a few command. "Team" to get the team moving forward. Rein control to turn left or right. "Ho!" (not whoa, interestingly enough) to stop. "Back" to back up. And "Swing" with reins to swing the team left or right but not move the trolley. Gerry quipped, "I can parallel park with them." Eventually we did get going again, and let the team trot for a bit rather than walk and we did take #3 to his house. That left us on the main street and before we got going again Adam managed to switch the main lights to a battery that still had a charge on it, much to Gerry's relief.

From there we went back to the trailer. On the way, Gerry jokingly asked how long it'd take to get all the drunks home. I figured he didn't have that much time. While Gerry took care of the team (Connie and Buttercup were pulling, May got some well deserved rest) and harnesses, Adam and I took down the trolley. Without the fancy sound system Gerry had a couple weeks earlier, and with a simpler decoration setup, it went very quickly with two people. I'm not sure but I think between the three of us we had the team loaded and the trolley down in about 15 or 20 minutes. A few minutes more were needed to get the trolley set up to be a trailer. Adam would be driving it back with Gerry's truck.

I gave Gerry a copy of the Sentinel from last year, with the photo of me and May. He recognized May right off. I also got his address so we (Jay & I) can send him a CD with the pictures Jay took.

Adam had some trouble starting Gerry's old Dodge pickup. I don't know the model year but I'd guess early/mid 1970s. The problem? Well, it was probably the first vehicle Adam had encountered that didn't have electronic ignition. He also had a problem figuring out how to turn off the high beams. He wasn't sure how he'd managed to switch them on. Seems he also hadn't encountered a foot switch for that before. One bit of luck for him - the truck has an automatic transmission. (Gerry and I pondered how lost Adam would be if he had to deal with a manual choke...)

I hung around till Gerry had his engine fired up as well, and the two of them went on their way back to St. James. They left around midnight and that would be the first stop. Then they had to get the trolley over to Lake Crystal to prepare for today (Saturday). I had asked if they'd be in Ormsby on Saturday like last year. Nope, they'd be in Lake Crystal instead and someone else would be doing things in Ormsby. Not a trolley but a flatbed with hay bales. I decided not to go to either place. Of course coming home and staying up till 2 AM and then sleeping to 10 AM didn't help any.