The LC's Holiday Coverage Begins: Free State Glass Party and Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade

Readers, it was one year ago this weekend when Richard discovered Larryville's greatest party. Perhaps you remember? He wrote about it here in a post entitled "Richard Discovers Larryville's Greatest Party."

Let's reprint his original description:

"Despite the fact that Richard has lived in Larryville for a damn decade, he only discovered Free State Glass's huge word-of-mouth holiday party last night (a party which, we should mention, has been going on for 24 years). The party attracts everyone from Larryville's "old guard" (many in formal wear) to beautiful underage party girls, and begins with a glass-blowing competition taking place in a ring surrounded by drunken onlookers (Richard originally suspected the ring was for bare-knuckle boxing or a cockfight, and was only mildly disappointed by its actual purpose). Featuring two bars of free booze, catered meats, a large stage, live bands, a dance floor, and a special "weed room," the party truly holds something for everyone and Richard's ignorance on the subject seems to call his hipster status into question once again, although he prefers to believe that it's a party so cool that it only reveals itself to someone who is truly ready to appreciate it."

Naturally, Richard spent most of this year waiting for a chance to introduce his less-hip friends to this great event, and last night was the big night.

Here are three highlights:

In a Keystone Cops-ish moment, King Tosser, in line for the bathroom, was bumped into by a very drunk woman, knocking him against a wall which ignited a fire extinguisher which led to a mass exodus from the first floor and a warning from the band on the second floor that someone had made a "real mess downstairs." Did the Tosser's antics affect any of the precious glassware of the first floor, perhaps endangering the future of the business and, most importantly, the Christmas party? We'll see.

Brian was pinned to a wall and nearly mauled by a ravenous cougar!

On his way out, Richard had a brief but delightful conversation with "international rockabilly superstar" Li'l Rachel, who was wearing a very sparkly dress.

See you at the same time next year (if you are cool enough).

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After the evening's debauchery, Richard was up bright and early to stake out his spot at downtown's Old-Fashioned Christmas Parade, one of the nation's largest gatherings of horse-drawn carriages.

Here are two shots of the event:


Richard: "Notice how my shot carefully juxtaposes the frontier spirit of the restored Wells Fargo Wagon with the modern trappings of the street light, with the no U-Turn sign working here to symbolize the loss of a simpler time and the impossibility of 'turning around' to recapture that innocence."










Chip: "I think the little horses are the prettiest horses."