Muncie Gras 2012 a huge success
MUNCIE, IN - Wall to wall people is what made Muncie Gras 2012 great Saturday night as music rocked and boobs popped out for the annual downtown party.
And every hotel room in Muncie was booked, according to some travelers who had to travel to Anderson to find a room and compete with Hoosier Park patrons and that Church of God crowd. Muncie Gras, along with a big women's soccer match at Ball State University, kept the hotel, food and beverage industry going strong for a weekend of spring break.
At least 8,000 people passed through the pearly gates of downtown Walnut Street, said downtown development leader Vicki Veach, even before final gate numbers are known.. The downtown offered divas, rock bands, fire handlers and something called Euro Bungee that threw people high into the air from a trampoline. And there was plenty to eat and drink.
The zipline guy bailed out at the last moment, said Cheryl Crowder, downtown event planner. and was replaced by the bungee jump from a trampoline. Crowder had a revealing costume with a zebra bra, arm and leg covers and purple panties and skirt as she paraded around the downtown. Her Facebook site shows it all and the many thanks from bands and downtown patrons. As her downtown diva sidekick, Penny Leach said, it was the best Muncie Gras ever.
Doc's Music Hall was slammed with people waiting for food, and beverages and to hear rock and roll bands. Two, outdoor stages provided a variety of music from that girl band called Lemon Wheel to classic rock star Mike Mulligan besides everything in between. Next door, Heorot's had porn star Julia Ann show her beautiful body that has adorned plenty of sex movies and online videos. That crowd got plenty to see all of Julia Ann's wares while there were some dancing divas from nearby Mark IV down the street.
The crowd was rowdy and no major problems were reported by Muncie police who were hanging with the drag queens outside the downtown development office late Saturday. Delaware County 911 communications reported only domestics with those " he said, she said or they said," complaints always fueled by public intoxication. There were no fatalities or felonies and nothing to follow up after the party was cleaned up Sunday morning.
The only reports were a patron passed out on a Jackson Street sidewalk that had to be taken away in an ambulance. And High Street United Methodist Church reported a party goer sleeping in his car that was parked in front of the church van.
Downtown guy Steve Reed, who lives in that beautiful brownstone on Washington Street, was out picking up old flyers from Doc's Sunday after church and gave a live report of Saturday night's crowd. Apparently, it took Reed a half an hour just to walk down Walnut from Jackson to Adams with hundreds of people in the street. And that block is the heart of downtown with Doc's Music Hall, Vera Mae's and Heorot's.
Reed used to run the oldest bar in downtown Muncie, last named Stirlings' and also has that old livery stable, the H.R. Miller, that he converted into apartments, besides Franks Foundry and other properties.
Jake Turley, of Occupy Muncie fame, had to apologize to all the women with red asses from all those free riding crops that were handed out. He called the huge street party awesome as only Jake could like he did with Occupy that is ready to camp out in downtown Muncie again to fight greed, money and power.
Rod Crossland of Wishbone Gifts fame, was busy throwing out a box of beads with another Occupy regular Mary Ogle, as a punk rock band blasted louder than anyone could stand. His morning newspaper even beat him home and that's just like Crossland who is known for his all night partying.
Muncie Gras is definitely the downtown's biggest moneymaker and with the city kicking in another $100,000, looking for even more music and family events this summer along with some live music at the new Canan Commons bandstand.
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