Page 5
“Well…” Wade paused.
I shot them a smile and nodded. Wade had shared with me last year that they sometimes feared their enthusiasm overshadowed the ideas they had. I did everything I could to encourage their big thoughts.
“I’m pretty sure we could turn it into a media project for some friends I have at school. I was helping a couple of them out last night and told them what I was doing here with the streaming and the VR history project. That triggered a whole discussion about streaming more to show off the festival, the town, everything that makes Maplewood special.”
Ingrid brought the food, and Wade quickly moved the laptop out of the way. While Olivia and I had one plate each, three plates with pancakes, bacon, hash browns, and eggs landed in front of Wade. Their eyes lit up as they surveyed the food.
“I love the idea. It could be an amazing showcase. What did you and your friends come up with?”
As we dug in, Wade explained that there’d be a mix of computer science and journalism students here to run the streams. For events that might not stream well on their own, the journalists could provide commentary, maybe interview people and such. It would not only showcase the festival but also be something for the students’ portfolios as well.
“I like it.” I reached down to pull my tablet from my backpack. With the pencil, I scribbled a few notes. “Can you put together a full proposal including how many people would be involved, the plan, and what tasks there are to pull it all together? And I kind of need that before the meeting tonight.”
“Already on it.” Wade didn’t even stop to think about it. “I’ve got most of it ready. I’ll have it to you by noon.”
“Great. Good job.”
“That’s very cool.” Olivia stole some hash browns from one of Wade’s plates. “Let me know if there’s anything I can do.”
“Will do.”
“And everything’s set with the VR project?” I wanted to make sure that was still good to go. The expansive project, chronicling Maplewood’s history and its Pride celebrations, was a central part of Thursday and Friday’s educational sessions. We couldn’t lose focus on that while adding more streaming.
“It is. I’m doing the final check today and I’ll have the demo units for you and Mayor Axelrod to try out tomorrow as planned.”
“I’m looking forward to that.” I smiled. I knew they’d have it ready, but it eased my mind to hear them say it.
“So I’ve got something new too.” Olivia rummaged in her bag and brought out a notebook. She handed me folded pages that made up a program. “This is what I came up with last night.”
Her artistic flair had transformed our basic program into a vibrant, eye-catching one that captured the spirit of Maplewood’s Pride. Small illustrations brought each event to life, using a palette of warm oranges, deep reds, and rich purples reminiscent of autumn maple leaves interspersed with the rainbow colors of Pride.
Some of the drawings stood out. For the parade, she created a procession of colorful floats and at the front a tiny Ethan Gallagher waved from a convertible adorned with maple leaves and rainbow flags. The dance performance featured one man lifting another, a scene I recognized from one of the promo photographs we had. For the exhibition hockey game, she’d created an action-packed scene with players mid-motion on the ice. Intricate maple leaf patterns morphing into various Pride symbols decorated the margins of every page.
The result was a program that was not just informative but a work of art in itself. It wasn’t a surprise. Olivia created all sorts of designs for Maplewood festivals, but this one was above and beyond. Each individual drawing could easily hang in The Wild Palette’s gallery, alongside the other artwork she curated from Maplewood artists.
“I don’t know what to say.” I handed the mock-up to Wade. “It’s stunning. You did that last night?”
She nodded. “I had one idea for the parade, and then I just kept coming up with more.”
“I wish we’d charged more for the ads since they’re going to be surrounded by your gorgeous art.”
“Wow,” Wade said under their breath.
Olivia beamed. “Thank you. I’m glad you like it.” She took it back from Wade. “I’ll talk to the printer to see what this version costs and if it can be done in time.”
“It’ll be worth the money. I’m sure we can shift funds if we need to.”
We spent another hour talking about all the events and the status of everything. In the midst of it, Ingrid cleared away our dishes and boxed up Wade’s leftovers.
“Now, about the grand marshal duties…” I trailed off, unable to keep the edge from my voice. The thought of working with Ethan frustrated me despite my best efforts to remain professional.
Olivia raised an eyebrow. “Has something happened?”
I forced a smile, shoving my personal feelings aside. Selecting the grand marshal was a community decision, and I had to work with whoever was chosen.
“No. He arrived yesterday as planned. It’s just… a lot of moving parts to coordinate. He’s got his hockey camp starting too. And honestly, we don’t normally have someone of his status as the GM.”
Wade looked up from their screen. “He’s certainly a big draw. There’s a lot of buzz because he’s got some of his NHL friends with him for the charity game.”
