Shift created a special day

It was lemonade out of lemons time Saturday at the Jay County Historical Society’s annual Heritage Fest.
Cold, chilly, wet, windy weather did its best to make everyone miserable. Tents were blown down, tent poles were mangled, and it’s safe to say that cold feet were the order of the day.
But instead of giving up and going home, the organizers moved as much as possible into the recently-expanded historical museum.
Craft vendors, activity centers, and informational booths were tucked where they could fit.
And as many people as possible crammed inside.
The result was remarkable. With the shared common ground of having to deal with the weather, absolutely everyone came together and had a great time.
The festival is always fun, but somehow the dynamic of personal interaction was heightened by the fact that nearly everyone was inside, rubbing elbows.
There were a few glitches: The contractors on the endless Indiana 26/Water Street project chose to pave on Saturday, making the trek to the festival site a challenge; historic re-enactors couldn’t really do their thing because the weather was so raw.
But those were minor headaches.
The trade-off — in terms of conversations and contact and getting folks introduced to the museum’s contents — was worth any inconvenience.
Sunday the festival looked like its old self. The sky was a crisp blue, and the crowd was having a ball. But anyone who experienced Saturday at the festival will tell you it was something special. — J.R.