INSIDE with the Festival Nomad (No. 34)

 Over the years I have attended, worked with and organized hundreds of festivals and events. With this new series, "INSIDE with the Festival Nomad", I want to give you an "inside" look at some of the festivals and events that I have been involved with or that I have visited. Along the way, I have had a lot of fun and sometimes frustration, but I have never been bored!

Crossing the Border... (Part Two)

The customs officer asked what we had in the back, and I told them that they were donations to the Ruffed Grouse Society’s banquet. We showed him our paperwork, which was in order, but he told us to drive to the inspections station. Here we anticipated another lengthy wait. These three officers were very uptight, understandably so, and very intense! We drove to the inspection area, where three more officers awaited us! We rolled down our window and one of the officers asked us why we had been sent to him. I told him that we had donations for the Ruffed Grouse Society and that we were on our way to the banquet to volunteer. He raised his eyebrows and asked us why would a “Canadian” do that! I told him why and he lifted his shoulders and laughed! This was in complete contrast to the three officers we had just left! These officers were loose and good natured. Without looking at the prints, he told us that we could go on our way. Before we left, I asked if they knew the telephone area code of Warren, Michigan. We had wanted to call directory assistance to find a telephone number. He looked puzzled and shook his head. He then turned to his colleges. The one man said no, but the woman officer said she knew and told us the number. The other two started to laugh and jokingly asked how she knew that. She just shrugged her shoulder, laughed and told them that it was none of their business! Talk about difference in attitudes! The dinner that we attended was successful, although the attendance numbers were smaller due to 9/11. Crossing back into Canada was a breeze and only took us a few minutes. The whole experience was very interesting, to say the least!