A Davis Happening

Davis is famous for its "happenings."  We're the town that built a $10,000 "Toad Tunnel" under the brand new overpass and then threw a big celebration and "overpass opening," complete with speeches, music and dancing and fireworks set off at the nearby dog park -- and maybe snacks too (I don't remember--I missed the event).

We made the Weekly World News tabloid for giving a citation to a woman for breaking the noise ordinance by snoring in her own bed.  We have potholes that our mayor tried to have declared national monuments.  We have big parades with more people in them than watching them.

It's a unique town.  And this weekend, I was privileged to be part of another city-wide happening.  It had been announced in the newspaper.

A mural depicting The Davis Song in ceramic tiles will be unveiled Sunday on the south wall of the new bathrooms in Central Park. Bring your singing voices.
The ceremony will begin at 5 p.m. sharp with a rendition of the song performed by Frankie and the Fabletones. Afterward, a drumroll will sound, the bathroom wall will be unveiled and the community, with full view of the mural, will be invited to join a singalong of the song.

Oooo...a bathroom wall unveiling!  How could we not attend.

Actually it was really a very nice, fun event which we ended up leaving too early because we were driving some friends home.

When we first got there, things did nt look promising. There didn't seem to be anybody there...there were tons of parking spaces, for example.

It was about 10 minutes to 5 and things had promised to start at "5 p.m. sharp."  But actually by 5 p.m. sharp, a nice little crowd had assembled.  A schedule was posted for the "grand unveiling."

There was also a table of prizes that would be awarded later. 

Heidi is an artist and she designs cermaic stuff she calls "Cuteware."  I got one of her pieces at a White Elephant party for Walt's office and I couldn't believe anyone would have given it away--and that nobody else at the party wanted it!.  I just love her stuff.  I was hoping to win one of the little plates.  But I never win anything, so I didn't have high hopes.

Promptly at 5 p.m., as promised, the Fabletones sang "The Davis Song," Heidi gave a brief history of how it happened to be written and recorded, thanked former Mayor (now County Supervisor) Don Saylor for saying it should be the official song of Davis, and how thrilled she was to make the mural that would preserve the song in ceramic.

Then, with drum roll and bugle call came the grand unveiling <-- em="" video="">

It's a wonderful wall, with so many special elements, like including the mascot for every school in Davis around the border, and adding tributes to businesses who were especially helpful to her...and the lyrics to the song, with illustrative tiles accompanying them.

Then Heidi led the audience in a kind of "follow the bouncing ball" sing-along.  (This is my favorite picture from the event)

When it was all over there was cake.

 
We didn't get cake and didn't stay for the prizes because we ran into some elderly friends, who had a very long walk home and we offered to drive them to their house.  It was nice visiting with them on the drive...and I figure that I probably won one of the dishes I hoped to win, since I wasn't there and you had to be present to win!!  But owell...being a good Samaritan was better.