THEY CAME, THEY SPENT A LOT OF MONEY AND THE COPS LEFT THEM ALONE

IT WAS the best of Beer Town times when the bikers came to town. The
populace pursued the pleasure of brew in the streets, wine out the windows
and some botanical on the boulevard while our finest in blue--normally seen
collaring the citizenry for jaywalking or spitting on the sidewalk--left
alone the big-spending tourists and city denizens.

One thing rings true: When the cash registers are busting with out-of-town
bucks, the jail turnstiles come to a halt. After all, we were auditioning
for the 100th anniversary bash and the $150 million it might bring in. So
it's no surprise that only 14 people were reportedly cited for offenses
ranging from disorderly conduct, marijuana possession and illegal
merchandise sales.

If those folks were local, they'd end up in that overbooked hotel known as
the county jail, but since everybody was in such a good mood, the visitors
were just given citations and had to promise to pay. We'll have to see what
the collection rate is for those tickets.

"It was a positive event," beamed assistant chief traffic director James
Koleas. Although the drink of choice for the thinning-haired two-wheelers
seemed to be Lite Beer in large quantities, the Expresso straight-line
walking unit was surprised to find no officially drunk drivers amongst the
revelers. The bike toll was 14 stolen and two down on the pavement, killing
their riders.

The police have promised we can all sleep safely knowing that a special
contingent is dedicating its time to the thefts.

Can we possibly hope this means a new attitude from our boys and girls in
blue for the festive summer season?

After all, the hogs were here a week but the natives are given the task to
fuel the economy the rest of the year.

Checked-by: Melodi Cornett