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The "Overflow Room"
We got in so late that we missed the celebration of
Dave Rath (Rath-Welker Co.)'s 40th birthday party. Rath, it turns out,
was born 4 years and 364 days after SHECKYmagazine.com Editor
Brian McKim who was, you may have been able to calculate, born on
July 18th, 1957, which, you may be aware is today plus 45 years.)
We briefly
worried that we wouldn't be allowed to enter the sacred Delta
Bar without our media badges. There was a phalanx (always wanted
to use that word) of security types armed with velvet ropes at the
entrance. They were using rather mushy criteria for admission
from what we could tell-- there didn't seem to be any rhyme
or reason. Fortunately, the criteria were so mushy as to allow
us to enter! The air was not conditioned for some odd reason
and SHECKYmagazine.com editrix Traci Skene was glistening with...
sweat, for lack of a better word. It didn't deter the partyers,
however, as a healthy number of comics, agents and others
gathered for what the newspapers say is the first real
night of the English-language segment of this annual soiree.
(This is the 20th anniversary, they tell us. We wonder if there
will be anything special planned for this auspicious, round
number.)
We did notice that, for the first time in our four years of
attending, they were offering FOOD to go along with all that
biere forte. They were selling smoked meat sandwiches on rye
bread from a long table just off the entrance to the bar and
folks were taking advantage big time. A wise move, in our
estimation. They also set up what they called an "overflow
room" just off the main schmooze corral-- another room that
folks could retreat to as an alternative to the hot, smoky
Delta main bar. To entice folks, they were offering free
Labatt's. That'll do it... or so you would think! We had
the joint pretty much to ourselves for two hours, maybe more,
joined by Brad Reeder, Joe Lowers, Dan Rosenberg and
a rotating, but small group of others. With few others
venturing into the Overflow Room, we had a steady overflow of
Bleues brought to our table while the networking reached its
usual fever pitch out in the lobby.
On occasional
swings through the throng (to journey to the rest room, of
course), we saw the usual suspects, along with some folks
we'd never had the pleasure of meeting. It will be an
interesting Festival. It will be more enjoyable when the
hangover goes away!
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Ross Bennet enjoys a
fruit-laden cocktail of some sort outside at the Delta
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DAN ROSENBERG (Big Shnoz
Productions) with MAX ALEXANDER and SHECKYmagazine.com Editor
TRACI SKENE at... where else? The Delta bar!
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