civilized ku # 1139 ~ picturin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues (same as it ever was)
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 11:19AM 
Bear Mt. picnic ~ Oktoberfest / Bear Mt. Park - NOT in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggenWhile in Peekskill this past weekend, we all went over to Bear Mountain State Park to attend the ongoing Oktoberfest (every weekend in October). The day was gloriously warm and sunny so, unsurprisingly (close proximity to NYC and all), there was quite a crowd which resulted in traffic jams, overflowing parking lots, and long lines (with unbelievably slow service) for kielbasa and bratwurst. Fortunately, the beer lines were long but fast moving. They got that right, however, isn't that the point of an Oktoberfest?
Unlike in Bob Dylan's Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues, the only sign of a Bear Mountain Massacre on this day was that evidenced by the urine assault on the men's restroom floor - it was covered, wall to wall, with a fine sheen/layer of urine. Taking into account the quantity of beer consumed, I guess hitting a urinal with liquid flowing from a flexible instrument is a real challenge for some.
That said, I have linked to Dylan's performance of his Talkin' Bear Mountain Picnic Massacre Blues because, in the spirit of Occupy Wall Street, his lyrics are as topical today as they were back then* (same it ever was). The last verse is the kicker ...
Now, it don’t seem to me quite so funny
What some people are gonna do f’r money
There’s a bran’ new gimmick every day
Just t’ take somebody’s money away
I think we oughta take some o’ these people
And put ’em on a boat, send ’em up to Bear Mountain ...
For a picnic
*Dylan's song is based upon an actual event - a 1961 Father's Day boat cruise up the Hudson River to Bear Mountain gone awry due to counterfeit tickets and overcrowding - A Harlem social club had chartered the Hudson Belle, for a Father's Day cruise up the Hudson to Bear Mountain. As the picnickers were crowding the pier... rumors (later confirmed) spread that about a thousand counterfeit tickets had been sold around town and that those families with fake tickets would not be permitted aboard. The boat docked a couple of hours late and there was a mad scramble to get aboard and a good deal of panic and fighting on all three decks. The cruise was called off and about a dozen people were taken to a hospital for treatment of their injuries.
FYI John Linn, et al) - unlike yesterday's ku 1106-09 entry's pictures, this entry's picture was made with a 3 exposure (ISO bracketing) blend.
Reader Comments (1)
"send ’em up to Bear Mountain ...
For a picnic" - Bob Dylan
I think this is what my sign will be for Wall St. next week.