Today is the Fall Festival in Old Town Manassas.  It is an annual event that brings tourists into the heart of the City from all over the surrounding area.  It is a day for the City to show off what a cool place it is and also a day for the merchants to bring in the bucks. 

Bringing in the bucks is never a bad thing, especially in this economy.  Many local shop keepers in the City and PWC have been hit hard by the recession and some have had to close their doors, as is evidenced by empty stores in and around the area.  I hope that today is a great day for those merchants in Old Town.  The weather is fabulous and it more or less defines what an October day should be like.  Hopefully no one’s political agenda will mar the event.

The Manassas City Council has been placed in a position by residents and non residents that really leaves them between a rock and a hard place.  For the most part, the council members are nice people who run for election, don’t get paid much for serving, and who are giving  their time to make their small city and community a better place.  They turn out for events and keep the public informed.  The thing I have noticed the most about them is their unwavering dedication to the City and its residents and their never-ending championing of their home turf.  This is a good thing and the good people of the City of Manassas have elected some mighty fine representatives. 

During the past month, these council members have gotten crushed in a political debate that really has gone too far.  It all started when someone noticed the store front window of KK Temptations, a soon-to-be adult boutique.  The alarm was sounded and local “anti- porn” groups sprung to life.   Several local delegates got involved and so did this blog.  We supported the right of KK Temptations to exist, especially since there were already other stores with similar content within the City limits.  Furthermore, KK Temptations had been approved for business according to City regulations. 

The City Council got to sit through what can only be described as a marathon citizens’ time.  Meanwhile, they got bombarded with requests to regulate the long standing women’s clinic that is an abortion provider.  The Religious Right was on a real roll.  No one wants to look like they like pornography.  Delegate Miller did the Council no favors coming into their bailiwick and stirring the pot.  He immediately defined the store as a “porno store.”  That set the tone and allowed all reasonable and logical discussion to be overruled by a name. 

To cause such a stink over location paints the City, and continues to paint the City as elitist.   No one worried at all that MVC is a block over from the library, Parkside or Kindercare or that Fashion Fantasy is right there on route 28 for all to see as they enter the City from that approach.  Some of those stores have been there for decades.  However, because of the way KK Temptations was defined, the City Council has been placed in the position of spending money that they probably don’t have to handle something, that in all probability, won’t be a problem. 

No elected official wants to appear to support pornography aka obscenities.  Doing so can be a real deal breaker come election day.  They also don’t want to be seen as being old fogies, so they walk a tight rope.  The can-can girls perform in Harris Pavilion and the mothers’ march on a legitimate business goes on up the street.  The Council walks a tight rope and hopes that none of the warring factions drops another lawsuit on their desk. 

I nominate the Manssas City Council for the ‘I wouldn’t want to be them’ award.  They have been put in the position that many PWC supervisors found themselves in in 2007 over immigration–between a rock and a hard place. 

 

53 Thoughts to “Manassas City Council: Between a Rock and a Hard Place”

  1. kelly3406

    This topic does not really interest me all that much, given that I do not have a dog in the fight. However, I have always viewed Old Town as an oasis of good taste. The few times that I go there are to walk around at the Fall Festival and to enjoy some of the good restaurants. Not sure what “KK Temptations” will contribute to the atmosphere — if it is tacky and obnoxious, I will go to Old Town even less.

  2. If it is tacky and obnoxious I expect that it will not last. @Kelly
    I suppose I am being very free market about this entire issue. If the store is distasteful, and I don’t think it will be, then I expect the local merchants will take care of things. The business community has ways of policing their own.

    I have no problem with future restrictions that apply to the entire city.

    I guess I have sat in City Tavern and watched too many drug raids over at the Olde Town Inn to think of the city as an oasis of good taste. If you sit on the terrace or in the glass enclosed room there you get a good shot of what’s going on.

    In fairness, I have seen less of that in the past year.
    The City deserves a rest from politics. The biggest question of the day should be about snow removal.

    I would like to see mural work in Old Town. Murals add such touch of class to towns. The railroad theme and civil war theme are just ripe for the picking. A few interesting building size murals would be wonderful for the upcoming 150th.

  3. good hanging basket model–Victoria BC’s baskets are known world wide. Gorgeous ones!
    http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Flower-basket-victoria-BC.JPG

  4. You should see some of the Halloween “costumes” in the new Halloween shop in the mall–near Targets. I ain’t ever seen a “Snowwhite” like the one there.

  5. Which target, George? My granddaughter has an Alice in Wonderland costume that is sort of …not like I have seen before. She is a teenager, not a little kid though.

  6. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    So Mrs. Slow decides she wants to take the boys to the Fall Festival. Now all I can find is stuff about the goodies boutique…….almost nothing about the festival itself. PITA.

  7. And that is a shame, Slowpoke. I do know from my daughter who manages a store not in Old Town that the entire city is packed. She said there are cars everywhere and that there is traffic everywhere. She predicts a that Fall Jubilee will be a real money maker.

    I will see if I can find a website. Anything in particular you are looking for?

  8. Interesting...

    I don’t post much anywhere; however, this insight was too good not to share on BVBL today. I think this post was quickly deleted for obvious reasons. I thought it might get past moderation over here.

    “Folks who persist in perpetuating defamatory falsehoods might want to reconsider their behavior, because the moment their behavior causes financial impacts things get a little dicey.  It’s kind of a line that most people wouldn’t want to cross, for a number of reasons.”

    The same might be said regarding KKs. The charge of “porn shop” has been thrown around rather casually when the store hasn’t even opened yet (i.e, without a shread of evidence). Since “porn” is illegal, that’s a pretty serious accusation.

    Perhaps the owners of KKs will choose a path that will make everyone happy by suing for liable and slander and quietly retiring to Florida on the settlement (instead of opening their little shop). Only the insurance companies will be unhappy.

  9. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Lots of people here! A few “keep old town family friendly” signs around, but that’s it. I would say that store is the last thing on anyone’s mind. Perfect day for this, weather-wise!

  10. @Slowpoke. Good! Then sanity has returned to the City.

    Are the kids having a good time? How about those pigs with faces on them? Do they have those there as bbq?

  11. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Mrs. Slow is off buying tickets for a slide my boy won’t get within a mile of. She cracks me up sometimes.

  12. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    @Moon-howler
    I didn’t notice them, but the stuff we got from Sensinigs was animal-licious!

  13. Slow, sounds like my mother always taking me to see Santa. I screamed and hid under a table each and every time.

    What is sensinigs? I just like bbq a lot better if I don’t have to see a dead pig face.

  14. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    OMG. The kid went down that slide by himself 12 times. I got nothing on Mrs Slow.

  15. Ut oh!! It looks like you got an independent one on your hands. Buy more tickets!!! Only a half ohour to go.

  16. I came. I saw. I bought … a new Vera Bradley purse from Allyssa Bryn and four yellow placemats from The Things I Love. When KK Temptations opens Oct. 20 I’ll finish my shopping spree. Life is beautiful! What a perfect day for the Fall Jubilee.

    I hope Old Town Business Association members embrace the new shop owners and play nice together. I hope Delegate Miller tones down the rhetoric and does what good elected officials do — steers this ship toward common ground.

    Mrs. Large just wants five minutes’ peace from her three rambunctious elephant children, that’s all.

  17. Big Dog

    It was one of the best Manassas Fall Jubilees ever! Large happy crowds,
    busy vendors and perfect weather. Couldn’t ask for more.

    A big thank you to HMI and everyone else who helped this wonderful
    event take place.

  18. Big Dog

    And who says local women aren’t empowered?

    Two words: Chainsaw Chicks

  19. I hear she is quite the talented artist.

    Thanks to everyone for reporting in. I knew it was going to be a great day when my daughter said her store was slammed early this morning. She said it was just contagious. Perhaps the nice day after the rain soaked week.

  20. Cindy, you are right. the rhetoric needs to be toned down. Mr. Miller has done what he set out to do. Now let’s give it a rest.

    I heard on the howling vine that you had been shopping. :mrgreen:

  21. marinm

    I left my compound long enough to make an appearance and ended up grabbing a few items. Was very nice outside and the crowd seemed to be pretty polite for such a large gathering. +1 on the Chainsaw Chicks.

  22. marin, somehow I picture you living in a man cave…rather than on a compound. Perhaps a man-cave on a compound?

    I heard it was very crowded. That’s good news for the merchants and a shot in the arm for the Manassas economy. Good show!!

  23. marinm

    My wife calls it a hovel. It’s an inside joke because my brother in law calls me a hobbit.

    I ended up getting her some fairy in glass for her work desk, a pig something or other than hangs from our tree, some apple cider so we can mull it, etc.

    The capstone was eating at mackey’s under a gadsden flag. Was a nice day and no issues while I open carried. 🙂

  24. Lafayette

    The Chainsaw Chix were great. I’ve never seen so many people at the Fall Jubilee. I saw several from the blog. I saw Big Dog being smart walking on the walk adjacent to the RR tracks. That was much better than a 10 minute walk to go half a block through hourdes of people. Center St was crammed with people I was starting to feel closterphobic. I saw several familiar faces from moonhowlings, co-workers, and family members. It really was a beautiful day for the event.
    Great job to all that made the day possible.

  25. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Chainsaw Chix were very cool. A little too noisy for my son, but we got to watch them for a little while at least. With the exception of being harassed by a Manassas cop, who probably was upset I didn’t offer him a bribe to go away and leave my wife, kids and I in peace, it was a really great time, and no issues at all with any protests.

  26. What did you have a cop problem over, Slow?

    I expect a protest would have gotten swallowed up in a crowd that size.

    Does anyone have pictures?

  27. Censored bybvbl

    It was a great day for the festival – you couldn’t ask for better weather or a bigger crowd. I saw several fellow bloggers, a neighbor I hadn’t seen in a long time, and many of DH’s acquaintances. The festival had a bit to offer for everyone – including the quick escape around the crowds that Big Dog used.

  28. Big Dog

    Walked Center Street and the nearby cross streets where there were vendors,
    events and great crowds. It was a pleasure to see so many people having a
    having a good time in Manassas, especially children. Crossed the railroad to
    backtrack and meet some family members that came from out of town.

    Enjoyed a break sitting on a bench at the station watching the
    water balloon venue across the way on West Street. Wonder if politicians
    would benefit from it — a pol could end up “all wet” more ways
    than one.

  29. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Moon-howler :
    What did you have a cop problem over, Slow?
    I expect a protest would have gotten swallowed up in a crowd that size.
    Does anyone have pictures?

    I won’t get into it because these days everyone would agree with the Cop. It’s along these lines: Today, you need to have a kid in a child car seat until they go to college, or 175lbs, whichever comes first. When I was young, I stretched out and slept in the back bench seat of a ’69 Plymouth Fury III. Things have just changed. I used to play, unsupervised, on active train tracks right next to an abandoned Southern States warehouse. I had ears, eyes, and I knew to get away from the tracks well before a train got anywhere close to me. People today, I suppose, don’t have vision, hearing, or any frontal cortex to coordinate senses.

  30. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Actually, it really boggles the mind to think of all the things I did as a little boy that would make people recoil in horror today. I’m just thankful I had the opportunity to be a little boy, and go for walks by myself, and discover things around me. I managed to survive, no problem.

  31. @Big Dog

    Were people being hit with water balloons? What did the water balloon venue entail.

    Perhaps a raffle to see which politicians would get dunked? [eyes lighting up]

  32. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    I was walking by the water balloon station with my 3 year old, and I saw a balloon coming out of the corner of my eye. We stopped JUST in time to have it fly past me and bust on the rocks next to us. The firing mechanism for the balloons was rubber bands and a funnel, so if unskilled, one could send the balloon any which way. They had some neat things for kids to do, that’s for sure! My three year old had a blast.

  33. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    Actually, heck of a weekend….Youth for Tomorrow Fair, Fall Festival, and gun show all in one weekend! Won’t be snot to do next weekend 🙂

  34. Slowpoke Rodriguez

    George S. Harris :
    You should see some of the Halloween “costumes” in the new Halloween shop in the mall–near Targets. I ain’t ever seen a “Snowwhite” like the one there.

    I’m looking for a Gloria Allred costume for this year.

  35. Censored bybvbl

    Slowpoke, I agree that being a kiddo today is a lot different than it was decades ago. I think kids today are going to look back with disapproval at their over-scheduled and over-protected childhoods. We used to ride our bikes for miles, play in the creek unsupervised, shoot bb guns, walk to our friends’ houses and bus-stops, go trick-or-treating by ourselves. We knew the basics – don’t get into cars with people we didn’t know and don’t let strangers into the house. You can take a walk in practically any neighborhood near me and see no children playing outside. Maybe the biggest thrill is the potential of being hit by a water balloon now.

  36. Slow! Even people who work every day on tracks can get distracted. Operation Lifesaver talks to local H.S. driver’s ed classes to open their eyes, but it’s best to do “safety first” early on. Today’s trains are much quieter from the steam engines of your youth. 🙂

  37. Big Dog

    And Big Dog would be remiss if he didn’t mention that among Manassas area
    events yesterday, was the Annual Dachsund Show/Event at the PW Fairgrounds.
    Wasn’t able to make it, but heard from wiener dog owner friends that it also
    was well attended.

  38. Oh is that this weekend? Big Dog, remind me next year. Mr. H would love to take his queen doxie out there. She is totally spoiled.

  39. Lafayette

    Mr. H has is doxie more spoiled than my Pug Angel.

  40. Big Dog

    Manassas diversity is illustrated once again by the number and types of
    dogs at the Fall Jubilee who, to my knowledge, all behaved well.
    There were labs, doxies (dropping by after their event), pugs, collies,
    poodles, bulldogs, German shepards, etc. .

    (There is one racing doxies picture in today’s MJM, but sadly almost
    no comment or pictures of the Jubilee so far. How could they miss such
    a huge event just outside their windows?)

  41. I am surprised you didn’t have one giant dog fight. Perhaps the dogs put on their best behavior for the event. Next year someone ought to set up a dog yard so they could all go play.

    I know that dog yard at Merrifield sure brings in business. big time. They have sheep out there now. A friend send me a picture of the sheep inspecting his cocker spaniel this weekend. They were definitely giving Sandy the hairy eyeball.

    (and I used boomer language just for you, Big Dog.)

  42. Merrifield also has goats out there and several varieties of sheep.

  43. Big Dog

    Now, I’ll be tempted. Just saw a window sign on Center St.,
    around the corner from KK’s, announcing a bakery/ cake shop
    opening soon!

  44. IVAN

    Thanks to all the free publicity, whenever anyone gives directions to a place in Old Town, they start by saying “go to KK’s on Battle St”.

  45. It sounds like lots of new businesses will be coming to town. Think of the money that can be spent in a bakery. Holy cow.

  46. Big Dog

    Noticed Frenandez has nailed together a flag pole in the center
    of the 9500 Liberty St. property and is flying a Mexican flag from it.
    For once he is honest and shows his true primary colors – and they aren’t
    red, white and blue.

  47. Big Dog

    Persnickety (named for some posters on this blog?) Cakes is across from
    Carmellos on Center St. in Old Town Manassas. Haven’t heard an opening
    date yet.

    A fine new Harris-Teeter located in the city cuts its ribbon at 8AM tomorrow.

    1. Persnickety? How funny. Satan! Get behind me.A

  48. Elena

    Interesting… :I don’t post much anywhere; however, this insight was too good not to share on BVBL today. I think this post was quickly deleted for obvious reasons. I thought it might get past moderation over here.
    “Folks who persist in perpetuating defamatory falsehoods might want to reconsider their behavior, because the moment their behavior causes financial impacts things get a little dicey.  It’s kind of a line that most people wouldn’t want to cross, for a number of reasons.”
    The same might be said regarding KKs. The charge of “porn shop” has been thrown around rather casually when the store hasn’t even opened yet (i.e, without a shread of evidence). Since “porn” is illegal, that’s a pretty serious accusation.
    Perhaps the owners of KKs will choose a path that will make everyone happy by suing for liable and slander and quietly retiring to Florida on the settlement (instead of opening their little shop). Only the insurance companies will be unhappy.

    Great point!

  49. Big Dog

    Have suggested that Persnickity focus on Angel Food Cakes and not
    even mention offering Devil’s Food or any kind of “tart”.

    1. Bwaaahahahaha good advice, BD. There has to be good come back in here somewhere.

Comments are closed.