Spoleto opened to it’s largest crowd. Spoleto is the Charleston version of an art’s festival. It has all the usual things- singing, dancing, jugglers, highwire walkers, clowns, and “unclassified” events.

It’s the unclassifed events that get the big splash in the paper and on tv. A favorite is the “Dance of the Ages”. Six women and five men are on stage in various types of costumes and one with nothing on. This year it was a guy so the place was packed with women. The naked guy didn’t seem to care.

They don’t do a whole lot. Mostly they stand in weird positions. Occasionally a sound gets made and they all move as if they’d been hit by lightning. The sound could be anything and, since they are an improv group, a fire engine screaming by gets them all worked up and confused.

There’s the face painter. Have to love this guy. He has no talent whatsoever. None. Nada. Yet, he makes a living at these festivals painting faces. You have a choice of blue or green. At the end of the day the paint gets mixed into one bucket and you get a choice of yellow.

He decided to join the technological age this time and used a sprayer. Painting your kids is five dollars. The overspray on you is free.

The one-man band is well liked but not welcome. City officials have done everything they can to discourage this fellow. He plays the guitar, blows on a bagpipe, hits a drum with his foot, and has a tambourine on his hat. Screaming fire trucks don’t confuse him at all. He was born a bit confused and growing up hasn’t cleared anything up.

No one knows what song he’s playing, including him. There’s been many a fight over this, especially late at night when the wine has flowed freely.

Another favorite of the crowd the lady who claims she can climb the tallest building- blindfolded. It’s not the climbing that impresses the folks. It’s the brass. Her claim doesn’t mean that much in Charleston since the tallest building is only 100 feet high. Even if she fell, which is the reason the crowd gathers, she’d just bounce instead of splattering. She gets a round of applause but it’s just politeness.