Each year, the community of Baraboo, Wisconsin holds two versions of it’s Downtown “Fair On The Square,’ a spring version and a fall version, with vendors, crafters, food vendors, live music and demonstrations set up in outdoor booths around the courthouse square of downtown Baraboo. Community organizations have an oopportunity to place booths around the square, to dispense information, and make presentations. In past years, Ha’DibaH lulIgh ghom has attended both version of Fair On The Square, as a mobile pedestrian unit, walking around the square, meeting and greeting visitors and community locals alike, and spreading the word of Kahless and Klingon fandom. Usually with a moderate degree of success. conversing with people who have some interest in our activities. This year, was a bit different.
On Saturday, May 12, 2018, Ha’DIbah lulIgh ghom set up our recruiting/information table/booth, for the first time, officially, at Downtown Baraboo’s Fair On The Square, Spring edition. One week after our debut of this setup at Sauk County Humane Society’s annual spring fundraiser, PAWS Pledge Walk and Fun Festival, on May 5, we set up, again, next tot he SCHS information table alongside the Sauk County Courthouse located in downtown Baraboo. We had, for the first time at Fair on the Square, a fixed location from which to operate. Our personnel mingled with the crowds, and strolled about the Square, meeting and greeting visitors to the event, vendors with booths set up there, and local community folks passing by.
Unfortunately, we got in a hurry, again, and forgot to carry our holo-imager along with us, to aek images of our operations for the day. We did, however, manage to invite passers-by to avail themselves of the opportunity to capture their own images standing beside a full dress Klingon, a most popular offer for many. We did ask, however, that upon taking the pictures, these nice folks might donate some pocket-change funds to the chairty that we supprt, Sauk County Humen Society, with their booth and donation collection box convenientyly set up right next to our table.
We handed pit fliers, brochures, and business cards, as we explained the existence of our chapter, our parent club, and our fandom. Fortunately, we ran out of some of the “hand-out” material (fortunately, because that means more people than we had anticipated showed an interest in our organization). We let people know that we meet on a regular basis, once a month, at a local establishment, for those who are interested in joining up, or those who just want to come and hang out with us.
Community leaders stopped by and got to know us, along with many other organizations, and vendors present for the day. Local media folks had a chance to find out about us, as did some out of town folks.
While no one actually signed up for membership at our table, there were a great many who expressed an interest in doing so very soon. Several such interested parties were visiting from outside the Baraboo, and Sauk County area. Some of our out-of-town visitors make regular visits to the Baraboo area almost every weekend, and a few thought it possible that they might start attening some of our meetings, as well as possibly joining KAG.
In spite of the breeze attempting to relocate some of our materials from our table, and the fact that we had no tent, or temporary gazebo set-up to protect us from the weather, it was a marvelous day, weather-wise, with the rain holding off until nearly time to pack up for the day. And, then, it was only a mild sprinkle. The sun was out for most of the day, which helped.
XO Skele spent the day exercising her “carnival barker/pirch-man” muscles, drawing attention to us, and our activities, much in the way she calls for folks to look into buying those raffle tickets that we sell for the PAWS fundraiser raffle. She, boldly, steps forward and all but pulls them in toward us by the arm, as she invites them to come get their picture taken “with a Klingon.” Once they approcah near enough, we begin telling them all about Star Trek and Klingon fandom, Klingon Assault Group, and some of our activities, and “rules,” and our local chapter. It’s a cinch that the day would not have been as succssful without XO Skele’s enthusiasm.
We packed up our materials at 1600 hours, eight hours after our 0800 start time, aboard Doq yay, the replacement vehicle for the now defunked SIlrly, and transported all back to our home base, across town. It was time for a relaxing session in the (fenced) back-yard with the feline members of our crew, followed by a restful evening meal.
After two weekends in a row of intense “ballyhoo-ing” at events in the community, and recent publicity in the local media, we can definitely say that this community and the surrounding area are becoming very aware of this Klingon presence in their midst. This is going to be a very good year.
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