Police roadblocks around St. Joseph Orphans Picnic?

[Robin Garr]

Probably not, actually, but I kind of wish they would. This annual charitable event draws huge crowds to St. Joseph's Frankfort Avenue campus for cake wheels, fried chicken, and beer, lots of ice cold mega-industrial swill.

It's all in a good cause, but I sometimes wonder if the organizers have any sense, as they turn well-beered crowds out onto the city streets in a wave of bleary behavior right at 10 p.m.

If the police are so worried about catching yuppies coming home from the Baxter and St. Matthews club zones, you'd think it might occur to them that there's a rich source of DUI candidates right here in Crescent Hill.

And who knows, maybe they will ...

Roadblocks are meant to catch the bar-going drunks, not the doing-good regular-folk who happen to get over the limit while supporting a good cause.

Hell, if they really wanted to enforce "the law," they could probably bust the volunteers for serving those who are clearly intoxicated.

Probably not, actually, but I kind of wish they would. This annual charitable event draws huge crowds to St. Joseph's Frankfort Avenue campus for cake wheels, fried chicken, and beer, lots of ice cold mega-industrial swill.

It's all in a good cause, but I sometimes wonder if the organizers have any sense, as they turn well-beered crowds out onto the city streets in a wave of bleary behavior right at 10 p.m.

If the police are so worried about catching yuppies coming home from the Baxter and St. Matthews club zones, you'd think it might occur to them that there's a rich source of DUI candidates right here in Crescent Hill.

And who knows, maybe they will ...

Off/on duty police are the security for St. Joe. St. Joe is the largest beer selling event in the region, usually around 200 kegs. It's not all swill though as BBC has been selling there for ten years and usually sells around 25 kegs.

You are a dozen blocks away, I'm one. Believe me, I hate the remnants thrown out at the end.

"What better place to catch the drunks than at a Catholic Picnic?"


-Told to me by an Irish priest many years ago...while he was drunk in an elevator after a friends wedding...

[Robin Garr]

Roadblocks are meant to catch the bar-going drunks, not the doing-good regular-folk who happen to get over the limit while supporting a good cause.

Really. So if several hundred drunks pour out of Phoenix Hill at closing time because they're drunks, they deserve to be locked up, but if several hundred drunks pour out of St. Joe's at closing time because they're good folks supporting a good cause, it's okay?

[Robin Garr]

It's not all swill though as BBC has been selling there for ten years and usually sells around 25 kegs.

I didn't know that! Good on 'em ... I wouldn't have thought it would fit the demographic.

You are a dozen blocks away, I'm one.

Four or five, actually. We're in the zone. Cars will be parked everywhere on our block tonight. If I'm lucky, they won't block us in the drive.

Believe me, I hate the remnants thrown out at the end.

If I didn't want to avoid starting another thread like the one in About Louisville, I would speak of sitting out on the porch racking a 12-gauge and watching 'em jump.

Robin! Shooting catholics? Assuming they are not of a demographic to drink BBC? Targeting the Orphans Picnic as a DUI trap?? This must all be heat related. I nearly turned and disemboweled some schmuck that was pacification walking a toddler through Kroger singsonging "uhoh uhoh"...he was on my heels through the entire store...by the time I hit the toilet paper aisle I just for a moment considered turning and dropping him like a bag of potatoes. Uhoh! I would have caught the baby of course as he fell. But I still would have a story to tell at Confession. Seriously, this heat is making for some frazzled nerves, I dread to think what the weekend will bring...

Robin! Shooting catholics? Assuming they are not of a demographic to drink BBC? Targeting the Orphans Picnic as a DUI trap?? This must all be heat related. I nearly turned and disemboweled some schmuck that was pacification walking a toddler through Kroger singsonging "uhoh uhoh"...he was on my heels through the entire store...by the time I hit the toilet paper aisle I just for a moment considered turning and dropping him like a bag of potatoes. Uhoh! I would have caught the baby of course as he fell. But I still would have a story to tell at Confession. Seriously, this heat is making for some frazzled nerves, I dread to think what the weekend will bring...

I'll stand with Robin, if you don't live in ground zero, don't criticize those of us that sit on the porch with a twelve gauge. I've had people try parking in my yard, they leave trash everywhere, and are generally disrespectful of the host neighborhood.

I'll stand with Robin, if you don't live in ground zero, don't criticize those of us that sit on the porch with a twelve gauge. I've had people try parking in my yard, they leave trash everywhere, and are generally disrespectful of the host neighborhood.

That can pretty much be said for any church picnic, St James Art Fair, Gaslight Festival, Derby, etc.
Trash follows large herds of people. Some of those folks are inconsiderate knuckleheads. However, they are mixed in with the masses of nice, well mannered people enjoying the event.

[Robin Garr]

the masses of nice, well mannered people enjoying the event.

Again, I'm mostly bothered by the ones who drive away drunk, and the apparently readiness of the festival beer booths to over-serve them as the end of the evening draws near.

[Robin Garr]

Robin! Shooting catholics? Assuming they are not of a demographic to drink BBC? Targeting the Orphans Picnic as a DUI trap?? This must all be heat related.

All kidding aside, Mary Anne, I was joking about most of that. As I said in the post just previous, though, it really does surprise me how little attention the organizers seem to pay to a situation that encourages people to beat the heat with lots of beer and then drive away. Even sports events stop selling alcohol in the last few innings or the last quarter.

I wonder if St. Joe's cuts them off an hour before closing time. If they do, I'll gladly stand corrected, but seeing the revelers pouring through the neighborhood on Saturday night (and, apparently, tonight too, this year), I'm inclined to doubt it.

[Robin Garr]

... the masses of nice, well mannered people enjoying the event.

Serious question, Dan: Do you think most of the people who spend Saturday night in the clubs are not nice or well-mannered people enjoying their evening? Thinking about the responses in the thread about the police roadbloks on Frankfort Avenue, do you think the drunks at St. Joseph's deserve a pass that the Baxter or St. Matthews drunks don't get? I'm just looking for fairness here ... and, perhaps, planting a small seed of thought that might lead St. Joe's to think a little harder about how they handle beer sales next time. They might lose a few bucks if they cut off the beer before the end, but what if it prevents a fatal accident? Priceless ...

Roadblocks are meant to catch the bar-going drunks, not the doing-good regular-folk who happen to get over the limit while supporting a good cause.

Really. So if several hundred drunks pour out of Phoenix Hill at closing time because they're drunks, they deserve to be locked up, but if several hundred drunks pour out of St. Joe's at closing time because they're good folks supporting a good cause, it's okay?

I should have included the appropriate sarcasm emoticon. It was all sarcasm.

... the masses of nice, well mannered people enjoying the event.

Serious question, Dan: Do you think most of the people who spend Saturday night in the clubs are not nice or well-mannered people enjoying their evening? Thinking about the responses in the thread about the police roadbloks on Frankfort Avenue, do you think the drunks at St. Joseph's deserve a pass that the Baxter or St. Matthews drunks don't get? I'm just looking for fairness here ... and, perhaps, planting a small seed of thought that might lead St. Joe's to think a little harder about how they handle beer sales next time. They might lose a few bucks if they cut off the beer before the end, but what if it prevents a fatal accident? Priceless ...

There is a cut-off point. I think such is required by law. Doesn't mean people don't plan in advance to have beer to drink after said point.

"What better place to catch the drunks than at a Catholic Picnic?"


-Told to me by an Irish priest many years ago...while he was drunk in an elevator after a friends wedding...

When I was thirteen or thereabouts, my sister (a year older) and I took a kid who had just moved to town and joined our soccer team to our Catholic parish picnic. It's important to note that this kid was from an evangelical Christian family who had just returned from two years of missionary work in Bolivia. As my sister and I were the veteran alter boy/girl trainers for the new alter boys/girls in the parish, we struck up a conversation with the parish priest while at the picnic. During the conversation, he said something along the lines of, "Well, make sure you play plenty of money on the prize booths. I'd tell you to have a few drinks too, but that will have to wait a few years."

Let's just say our friend was more-than surprised at how the Catholics operate.

[Robin Garr]

Let's just say our friend was more-than surprised at how the Catholics operate.

Episcopalians are quite similar, but it's Chardonnay, and not so much of it.