Fire-A Novel

Date: Sat, 27 Feb 1999
Posted to the MRFfriends ListServe

I have been reading all of your comments and it is refreshing to see that many of you (actors) feel exactly the way I do. I am probably the only crafter on this list server. However, I do count many of you as friends. Now I know why, loyalty. I have worked at the Festival since 1986 in one capacity or another, and yes, it does get in your blood.

If you don't mind I would like to verbalize the tears I shed all day yesterday.

I turned on the news at 5:00 a.m. (as I always do) to be greeted with cheery faces telling me that the "Renaissance Festival in Shakopee is on fire". OH MY GOD! What part of the festival? the whole thing? OH MY GOD!

I have to call the site office, where are my phone numbers? At work. SHIT, who to call? Lisa and Brian Bram own a business out there, call them. Woke them up. Called Roger Wenner (site crew), woke him up. NO, no one had told him about the fire.

Five-thirty news informs me that the "groundskeeper" stated that it was the worse destruction she had ever seen, "like a bomb went off". OH, OH, here come the tears, hysterical sobbing. My whole life could be gone. My business is my reason for living (I know it sounds petty, but I have no husband, no children. All I have that is important to me is my business and friends). My business is my pride and self-esteem. I put hundreds of hours of work into fixing up my booth and producing my hats. (Yes, I do sew all of my own hats!)

Call JoAnn! Thank God JoAnn answered. She is kind and reassuring. Thank you JoAnn. Yes, Kat, your booth is fine. She describes to me exactly what is destroyed. At some point I must have "blacked out" because all I remember is walking down the hill to Kathy Creger's shop and leaning up against her counter and greeting and receiving a greeting from my friend Kathy and the numerous participants that frequented Kathy's shop. "Kathy you're Babalicious".

Pub Crawl - gone,
Children's Realm Rubber Ducky race - gone
Children's Realm Mysterious Soap bubbles - gone
Seville Champagne Party (in the old days!) - gone

I guess what really is scary is exactly what others have mentioned, JoAnn lives there and SHE COULD HAVE DIED! "No, there are no fire alarms to warn me" JoAnn told me.

I would like to thank anyone who took the time to read this little trilogy and apologize for boring you but I think putting it writing was good therapy. Now I have to go off to BUY INSURANCE FOR MY BOOTH!

XXOO
KAT

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