Two way communications: Marcey explains why there'll be no Indie Fest in 2017, but leaves open the possibility of a comeback.

And as I know perhaps all too well, in order to "come back," one must first "go away."

My good friend Marcey Wisman-Bennett is to be commended for undertaking several difficult tasks at once.

For five years, Indie Fest has been a favored project, and it became something of a personal crusade for her. But now she's letting go, at least for the moment, and reassessing future prospects. In fractured times, this is eminently rational.

Moreover, Marcey thinks it important to explain to the event's fans why the decision to suspend Indie Fest was made, and to do so thoughtfully, without pointing fingers. In increasingly divided New Albany, that's eminently diplomatic.

It cannot be emphasized too strongly that when Indie Fest first was minted, it was to be a smaller part of a bigger entity. New Albany First would be the independent business association along the lines of LIBA in Louisville, and it would be a daily presence in the city. Once each year, NA First would stage Indie Fest as an exclamation mark.

It is beyond my aim today to document the myriad reasons why NA First withered and died, or to urge for the zillionth time that something like it be revived, because indies need to leverage their power as a unified force, and not be kept divided and manipulated from above.

Oops. Just did, didn't I?

The point is this: When NA First settled beneath the anchor-ridden mud flats, the festival's exclamation mark became the whole explanatory sentence, uncoupled from its mission and competing for funding along with countless other fests and events, but without the sort of local buy-in to be derived from the perceived benefits of the business association's daily operation.  

If Indie Fest is to be the reason for its own being, then it must be rethought, as Marcey clearly understands.

Once again, thanks to Marcey for respecting the intelligence of Indie Fest's supporters by leveling with them like adults. Contrast this stunningly mature approach with Team Gahan's perennially secretive disposition. I'm impressed that the reporter Grady added this coda:

Indie Fest is the second New Albany festival not to happen this year. The Boomtown Ball & Festival, which was organized by the city, failed to return for a fourth year in May.

When asked that month why the festival did not happen, Courtney Lewis, the City of New Albany’s director of outreach and engagement, did not give a reason, but confirmed that it wasn’t occurring. She did not say whether or not the event would return.

Communications.

So effortless for some, and so elusive for others.

New Albany's Indie Fest canceled for 2017 — but there's still hope, by Danielle Grady (Hanson Huckster's Almanac)

NEW ALBANY — New Albany’s Indie Fest isn’t happening this year, but its founder is optimistic about the future of the locally-focused festival.

Marcey Wisman-Bennett started Indie Fest in 2012 with New Albany First, an independent business alliance. The September festival was billed as a way to celebrate all things independent — from businesses to artists to musicians.

Indie Fest announced on its Facebook page on June 21 that it would not return in 2017.

Crazed ragpicker poses as city employee, makes terroristic threats to laughing-out-loud store owner.

Longtime readers of this blog know that for many years, I've expressed an aversion to political yard signs.

But having thought better of it during the course of campaigning for mayor, and secure in the knowledge that we're offering platforms over platitudes, the whole process of sign placement has proven to be fun and entertaining, just so long as the tail isn't wagging the dog.

This morning, the sheer entertainment potential of political yard signs was revealed to its greatest conceivable extent.

We'd delivered two signs on Saturday to Cisa Barry at Sew Fitting, and she decided to put one in the tree well in front of her business.

I'm told it's the same tree well the city refused to clear of weeds or bother improving, so Cisa and a friend pulled the weeds, and the building owners added barrier cloth and rock.

My campaign treasurer is Marcey Wisman-Bennett, who works at Sew Fitting, and Marcey quizzed Cisa in precisely the same way I've done when asked for a sign by a business owner: Are you sure? It may repel some customers, and also attract the attention of a particularly vindictive species of City Hall denizen. Cisa was firm (as have a handful of other fellow independent business owners, whom I thank).

As to whether it is legal to put a sign in that tree well, I'd concede that strictly speaking, it's probably no more legal than the two tacky signs tacked to the utility pole in front of the VapeWorks, adjacent to Sew Fitting -- which the city has done nothing about.

Further, I submit that if a business owner finds herself in the position of doing the city's tree well maintenance work for it -- especially after the Board of Public Works has been overtly unhelpful in previous requests made of it with regard to the safety of the intersection, something almost surely owing to political motivations (see "vindictive" above) -- she may care less about strict interpretations, especially when a scene like this is permitted two blocks from her business.

This morning, before Marcey arrived at work, Cisa had a visitor. He said he was a city employee, but did not otherwise identify himself, and she didn't know his name. The city "employee" was red-faced and yelling.

"Marcey should know better than to put a political sign on city property ... if Roger is going to complain about the job I'm doing he shouldn't have signs on city property."

In the hope that he might go away, Cisa removed the sign, but let the city "employee" know that she was the business owner, and she was the one who made the decision to put the sign out -- not Marcey, and not Roger.

After that he was a tad deflated, but managed to huff and puff an additional flatulent utterance: "Marcey still should know better," before stomping away.

Now here's the funny part.

When Marcey came into work and heard the story, she thought about it, and arranged a "lineup" of social media faces in the hope of coaxing a positive ID from Cisa.

And this is how we know who it was.

Dan Coffey.

Thus informed, Cisa did the only logical thing.

She put the sign back out.