1 APR 05: THUNDER ENLIGHTENING

Our InBox receives all kinds of interesting tips. Here's one which came to us about a week ago, concerning "Thunder in the Valley":

I read Bennett's piece in the L-E and was fascinated to discover that although upwards of 30K people came to the show last year, and despite the assertion that all costs were subsidized by sponsors, no more than $100K was distributed to charity.

Tickets did not cost $3.50 What accounts for the small net? I certainly would not expect all 30K patrons to have paid full freight both days. But if they had, the gross would have been over $250K, no? I wrote Bennett and she replied that others may look into this. Perhaps you could, too?

Best regards,

Ed Joyce

P.S. Could this be a case for the relentless consumer reporter(s) at WRBL and WTVM? Nah, that would mean actual reporting would have to occur.

Ouch! Is Ed saying you can be relentless, and still not do any actual reporting? But I guess that was the accusation against Dan Rather last fall, wasn't it?

In response to this message, your blog asked two top officials at Thunder in the Valley if we could review the event's financial statements. The event's web site shows they both work for Wachovia - so if any money was missing, it might be buried at the Columbus city landfill.

Thunder in the Valley Chairman Greg Allmendinger called me this week to explain some of the event's numbers. He said the attendance figure of 30,000 actually was a police estimate for the area around Columbus Airport, not only at the air show. So if you only went to Home Depot to count some nails, they counted you.

Greg Allmendinger admits the actual paid attendance at Thunder in the Valley this year was about 8,000 - down 25 percent from last year. Be thankful we don't have New York tabloids in Columbus. Their big headline might read: "AIR DROP."

Greg Allmendinger has several reasons for why attendance at Thunder in the Valley dropped 25 percent this year. He noted Saturday, March 19 was cool and cloudy - and that's normally the show's biggest day. So if you can't show off your new spring sunglasses, there's no reason to go?!

Greg Allmendinger also noted Thunder in the Valley faced competition from a lot of other events this year:

+ A NASCAR weekend in Atlanta. Apparently some people wanted to hear a different kind of loud noise.

+ The "Rally for the Troops" featuring motorcyclists. Maybe next year the show will arrange buses from Robins Air Force Base.

+ The final day of the air show was "Palm Sunday" - giving churchgoers something else green to wave, besides dollar bills.

Greg Allmendinger agrees with our e-mailer Ed, that not everyone at Thunder in the Valley pays their way in. He said nonprofit groups which benefit from the air show receive as many as 500 tickets. So if someone approached you in the parking lot of Sam's Club scalping tickets, this could explain it....

In a move of patriotism, Greg Allmendinger added free tickets were given to the families of Fort Benning soldiers deployed overseas. So there really were TWO rallies for the troops that weekend - only with different decibel levels.

More than 1,100 Fort Benning trainees were brought to Thunder in the Valley free of charge as well. They might not be able to afford attending on their own - especially since the U.S. Army needs every dollar it can find to sponsor NASCAR drivers.

Greg Allmendinger says the proceeds from Thunder in the Valley will benefit several area youth organizations, and especially the Boy Scouts. Hopefully the Scouts were allowed to put their skills to good use - for instance, tying down planes with square knots.

BLOG EXCLUSIVE: Now for our next big event! The Historic Columbus Foundation informed me Thursday it was surprised to hear civil rights leaders call for a boycott of Riverfest. Perhaps those leaders are following Jesse Jackson's example - blurt it out first, and clarify what you really mean later.

The first public comment from the Historic Columbus Foundation about a Riverfest boycott was given to your blog by a woman who would only call herself "Francis." I really don't think she has to worry about the NAACP picketing outside her house....

Francis says civil rights groups never informed the Historic Columbus Foundation of plans for a Riverfest boycott. She admits the foundation has yet to contact any of them about it, either. Here's yet another opportunity for Jimmy Carter to mediate, and achieve peace.

Francis told me the Historic Columbus Foundation does a lot for the community which boycott supporters "might not be aware of." For instance, it's the only group in town which conducts "Black Heritage Tours." Maybe if they added a stop outside Kenneth Walker's house, protesters might change their minds.

Francis went on to note the Historic Columbus Foundation conducts programs every February, during Black History Month - and buses students to attend them. Some of us can remember when merely being "pro-busing" was a controversial position.

Francis cited a caller to WRCG's "TalkLine" Thursday, who asked why civil rights boycotters would "penalize innocent people." To which the NAACP would respond, "That's what WE said when that car was pulled over 16 months ago...."

By "innocent people," Francis refers to the Riverfest vendors - whom she says come to Columbus from all over the country. Will their sales be hurt by a civil rights boycott? Or would they do even better with stalls at Columbus Park Crossing?

Francis went on to point out Historic Columbus Foundation executive director Virginia Peebles recently was honored by the African-American sorority Alpha Kappa Alpha. Come to think of it, I didn't see any women around the microphone at the boycott announcement - so maybe the guys needed something to do.

Francis told me the Historic Columbus Foundation is "sorry for Kenneth Walker's family," and she hopes something can be worked out to avoid a boycott and picket lines at Riverfest. If the foundation added a headline act which isn't white, that could be a start.

By the way, did I read the sign outside the Columbus Civic Center right? B.B. King and Bobby "Blue" Bland are coming to town April 29 - in the middle of the civil rights leaders' "days of abstinence?" The concession stands might as well not even open for that concert....

Now let's catch up on leftover items from the last couple of days:

+ The Columbus Cottonmouths mauled Macon 5-1, and can win the Southern Professional Hockey League title tonight. We recommend Macon radio stations get their fans ready today, by playing an old Smokey Robinson song -- "Trax of My Tears."

+ Another day of rain flooded the Phenix City Amphitheater stage again. It looked dry when I jogged by it Wednesday night - so maybe they're applying a big-city parking standard: alternate-day flood rules.

+ The owner of Crawford Feed, Seed and Hardware was arrested on methamphetamine charges. If your horse or pet bird stumbles around or looks glassy-eyed, please call the Russell County District Attorney - it could be valuable evidence.

+ The American Canine Association warned it might sue the city of Lanett, over its ban on certain breeds of dogs such as pit bulls. If you think about it, this association may have a point. Didn't the Serbians do something like this about ten years ago, only with humans?

+ Faith Middle School at Fort Benning hosted a touring science show called "FMA Live." When I was in school in the Midwest, we did well to have "MFA Live" - visits by insurance agents.

(The letters in FMA Live come from Sir Isaac Newton's second law of motion: "force = mass + acceleration." Sadly, Catholic protesters trying to get water to Terri Schiavo found this formula doesn't always work.)

+ Former Muscogee County School Board candidate Cathy Williams (formerly Cathy Vaughan) told WRBL she has NOT decided if she'll run for chair again next year. Williams said of recent visits to board meetings: "I'm not running, I'm learning." Why doesn't she take night classes at Columbus State like everybody else?

+ Evangelist Mary Lee from the "Wings of Faith Worship Center" in Phenix City appeared on TV-16 and proclaimed: "You've got to get buck-naked with your prayer life." This could spark the biggest religious revival Victory Drive has ever seen.

+ Instant Message to the McDonald's on Macon Road: About your sign urging me to "try a Southern chicken" - I'm from Kansas. If you don't offer a Northern chicken, can I sue you for discrimination?

BURKARD'S BEST BETS: The "Faith & Spirit" section of Saturday's Ledger-Enquirer.... I understand it may have an interview with a rather interesting character....

Today's entry was partly the result of a blog reader's tip. To offer a story tip, make a PayPal donation or comment on this blog, write me - but be warned, I may post a reply.

If you quote from this in public somewhere, please be polite enough to let me know.

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