Last Saturday started pretty early for me. We all got up and headed to North Little Rock to stake out our place to watch the Race for the Cure and support my favorite candidate for judge. We got to the spot right across from Dickey Stephens Field just as it became light. We set the tent up, hung up the banners, and waited.
It initially felt like we were a little early, but if we had been any later, we might not have gotten a spot. Ironically, five minutes after we got there, a lady in a big hat came up and started complaining that she had been standing at the spot we were at for 20 years.
I thought I was about to have a replay of the “tailgate” battle from two weeks ago, but we had a representative of one of the law firms from that location, and he made it clear to the old timer that we were rightfully there. Unlike the prior tailgate battle, these people were really nice and we all agreed there was plenty of room for all of us. All was well.
Around 8:15 a.m., the crowds turned the corner and made their way east toward Main Street. I have never been to the race, so I was quite impressed with the number of people who were participating. There were people of every shape and size, and I was surprised to find out that men were actually walking and running. There were so many people walking by that it was hard to focus on most individuals. That was true for all except the person in the “Elmo” suit. The person in the Elmo suit was hard to miss. When I first saw the Elmo suit, I wasn’t sure what he was doing. He ran over to the sidewalk and seemed to almost straddle a large green crayon that he was carrying. I began to worry about what he was going to do next. Sadly, my mind went directly to the gutter. He took the top off the three foot crayon, got something out of the hollow container and went about his way, stopping only to take a picture with a group of runners.
That night, Patti and I had dinner with some friends at Sonny William’s Steak House. During dinner, I mentioned that I had seen Elmo during the race and how I thought what a great publicity getter that would be if he had a candidate’s shirt on while he was in the race. Everyone agreed, and the conversation went elsewhere. Then, Elmo appeared walking down the street. That is correct: 12 hours after I first saw Elmo, he was walking down the street in full costume. I don’t know whether Elmo was male or female, but I am guessing male because no woman is stupid enough to wander downtown Little Rock all day in a Elmo suit. I am guessing it takes a guy to do something like that, and I am assuming he was imbibing throughout the day to maintain the fun of wearing the outfit. I am also assuming that he rented the outfit and wanted to get the most of the rental. I can only imagine that, even though it had been cool all day, that the inside of the costume was musty at best.
I enjoyed my first Race for the Cure. I am sure that Elmo did too. A lot of money was raised for a good cause and hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people got to meet Elmo. Everybody likes a good cause and adults and children alike love Elmo. It was win/win. I once wore a Daffy Duck suit while holding a candidate’s sign. It was a good time, even though I don’t really want to do it again. I wonder if Elmo will ever suit up again or if it was a once in a lifetime experience for him that he will forgo in the future.
The best part of life is experience. Some experiences are only good one time. Others are good, over and over again. I plan to attend the Race for the Cure next year, but I wonder if Elmo will be there. That is a personal choice that he will have to make for himself. Something tells me he liked the attention. Everyone likes attention, especially those of us way up in the CHEAP SEATS!