COLUMBIA SPY

Sunday, September 28, 2014

What I saw recently

A poster for a memorial ride for Chad Noll, who passed away last year

A visitor (?) at the visitor's center (Northwest River Trail Services Building) at Columbia River Park on Saturday morning

So that's where the honeybees are - getting hopped up on the caffeine in Mountain Dew.

I saw this abandoned soda can at Third and Locust with what I thought were yellow jackets crawling on it, until I looked more closely. These are the first honeybees I've seen in quite a while.

It's only September, and these geese are flying south already.

I hope that doesn't mean we're in for a nasty winter.

Road construction continues on Ironville Pike.

Fourth Friday Feet in the Street

The "Feet in the Street" event on Fourth Friday in Columbia featured art, dancing, food, music, and other attractions. The event was centered on the 500 block of Locust Street and Locust Street Park and extended to other areas of town.

Dancers dancing

Claire Storm with a mosaic of the bridge burning, created by participants at last year's RiverFest in Wrightsville

Music in the gazebo

Feet in the Street - Literally!

Some participants left their mark on the "Feet in the Street" celebration on Fourth Friday in Columbia by walking with painted feet on rolled out butcher paper. The result was a cross between realism and abstract expressionism - and a lot of fun.

Riverdance in Rivertowne

Columbia's Rich Bair danced with his granddaughter Andra in Locust Street Park during the "Feet in the Street" event on Fourth Friday, September 26, 2014.

Takedown!

At the beginning of the "Feet in the Street" celebration on Friday, a group of youths - skateboarders and others - showed up in Locust Street Park with apparent intent to disrupt. After one of them "accidentally on purpose" fell off his skateboard, his associates banged him on the head with their "boards" - cracking the motorcycle helmet he was wearing - and kicked him in the face shield, after which he turned over and began thrusting lewdly on the sidewalk. As his companions dispersed toward Locust Street, running past children drawing on the blacktop with chalk, said helmet wearer rolled and sprawled on the grass before running away.

Columbia Borough Police officers soon arrived and dispersed the youths, except for one who became defiant and allegedly threatened officers. After a brief struggle, he was handcuffed and removed, and the proceedings continued without further interruption.