Tenley, Mike and I made our way to the 45th Annual Eeyore Festival in Pease Park. I had heard a lot about the festival last year, but didn’t make it. This year, on a perfect evening we parked our car at 17th and Congress and hopped on the yellow school bus that would drop us off to say Happy Birthday to good ole’ Eeyore.
The good vibes began with our bus driver; let’s call her “Lorraine”, like the delicious quiche. She navigated the bus with a smile on her face and a welcome greeting for everyone who stepped on and a good wish for everyone who stepped off. Her warm nature was completely unconditional; she seemed to get ultimate pleasure in knowing everyone else was having a good time.
We entered the park in a daze of bewilderment that comes from the over stimulation of so much going on around you. The first thing that came to mind was freedom. As I looked around it all appeared like a blur of colors intermingling. People were adorned in costumes that did not necessarily make any sense, just a conglomeration of materials, paint and accessories of various types. But I also saw some familiar tributes to characters like Tigger, Where’s Waldo and…well really those were the only two I recognized.
I took pictures of this naked painted man, as you can see here, his backside reading “Kiss’…you would think ‘my’ but I can’t make it out…butt.” What you cannot see is that his front side was just as bare and just as painted. I apologize for not getting a picture of that.
Swaying next to one of the many drum circles is where we spent most of our time. Tenley and I took our shoes off and enjoyed the rhythm. Our friend Mike brought his Cajon drum and wailed away. He moved on to some random plastic buckets later, eventually breaking one due to his intense pounding. Playing this music was a good release for him.
It was such a great moment, taking everyone in as they moved about without a care in the world. That was the best part about this festival, no one seemed to care about what anyone else thought, and that is because no one was judging anyone else. People felt comfortable with themselves in the presence of so many other people. This is not something you see on a daily basis.
Tenley and I set off to do some hula hooping and ended up discovering another drum circle with some more characters soaking up the rhythm of the festival. There were two guys who had tie-died themselves and were executing some curious gymnastic routine. Once again, just free to move and be whatever they wanted. We also met Leo, a very, very tall man with dreadlocks. He was a nice man and he took our picture.
As we walked back towards the shuttle school bus to leave the festival, we were happy to see that “Lorraine” was once again our escort. She reciprocated the excitement as recognized the faces she had dropped off earlier. “Did everyone have a great time?” she wanted to know. Better than I could have imagined. On the bus ride we sat next to Jay and his guitar. We sang Beatles songs and a little Otis Redding. Also, in a rebellious childhood moment, we smoked a cigarette on the school bus. Lorraine did not mind as long as we were courteous to those around us and did not burn holes in the seats. It felt strangely liberating to be smoking that cigarette on the school bus, yet another manifestation of the sentiment that rules do not apply on Eeyore’s birthday.
I am thinking today, the day after, why it is that this gloomy character’s birthday from Winnie the Pooh is celebrated every April in Austin, TX in honor of spring. There may be reasons that the festival organizers came up with, but I have some of my own. Eeyore is the unexpected guest, the one whom the rest of the characters in Pooh Corner may be surprised to see show up with a party hat on. He is also the one who needs a little urging, some encouraging words to reassure him that his friends love him for who he is. But one of the best traits of Eeyore is that he doesn’t mind the rain or gray days. He may say “Oh woe is me,” but he accepts it as a part of reality that must be endured. So the festival is for the Eeyore in all of us, to remind us to shake the haters off and be who we want to be. It is also about the obnoxious Tiggers, absent-minded Poohs, motherly Kangas, little Roos, arrogant Owls and worrisome Rabbits that make our world interesting. We can find friends of various kinds to share our honey with. So Happy 45th Eeyore, in your honor we once again welcome spring and diversity in Austin, TX.
