Shoreview Community Center

    I went to the Shoreview Community Center tonight to honor the late Bill Young. I got 13 pictures of the event. It was mostly before and after the ceremony. I was next to Worthington and he advised me against doing any during the ceremony. So I waited until we did the Nerf gun salute. Before this I got two photos at the entrance to the community center, of the electronic schedule board which mentioned the event and of the Linus statue next to it. I had been here before to find this statue. Next two are of the cakes, they had Star Wars figurines on them. Then there are some pictures on an easel, and wooden letters spelling out 'Bill'. I was amazed at all of the items on the table, various souvenirs from his comedy career. I recognized some of them, like the $4.99 show CD and the Fringe Festival card from this year's New Ulm play. There was also a poster of a show he did at Triple Rock Social Club. I did plenty of photos from the Nerf gun salute, but I am keeping just 2. Most of the others were too dark or too far away. We also have an 'Eat the cake' sign next to the smaller cake. Then we have individual pieces of cake on paper plates, Nerf guns in a box, and flowers. Some shared stories but I did not, mine would have paled in comparison to those I heard. I nearly lost it when some were getting choked up trying to tell their stories, this included his ex-wife's young son. I was able to say hi to so many people there, most everybody I knew from the comedy circuit was there. During the ceremony we held hands and 'Lean on me' was played, then eventually we clapped during one part of the song. When I was driving home I tried to find the right song for the moment but it was hard to find, aside from maybe 'Basket Case' by Green Day. So I decided to shut off my radio after a while. When I got home I found two songs on Youtube, 'The Story' by Brandi Carlile, and 'Doll Parts' by Hole, but I really didn't get out the scream I had wanted. Probably would have been easier in the car. I am thankful for many of the souvenirs I acquired at this event, Mason City gave me one of the Nerf gun darts. I also have a pin that looks like his character from the New Ulm play, a bumper sticker with his blog name, and two buttons with the blog name. I got his business card as well, and can't forget the framed photo of Bill with Gus Lynch. This was given by the wife of the boss-man. I was pleased to see all three photos I shared were printed and shown there. Two were from July's Fringe Festival fundraiser, the other from a wedding in September.           
     I did have another dental appointment in the afternoon for cavity fillings. I am thankful it didn't cause any inconvenience with the event tonight. And I listened to one of the comedy CDs that arrived recently from the Amazon order. I hope to find the time to listen to the other soon and then share my thoughts with the performer.