I wondered before the 4th of July why Wheeler Branch, part of the Somervell County Water District, was being used exclusively by the Chamber of Commerce to provide cushy tent seats and dinners and ONLY those who paid $100 were going to be able to park there for the 4th of July fireworks (actually Sunday July 3rd). If, for example, you were a resident of Somervell County and wanted to go watch fireworks at Wheeler Branch, you would not, originally, have been able to park there but would have had to park at the Amphitheatre and get a shuttle. I found the whole deal odious from a class distinction standpoint, but also wondered what kind of arrangement a private organization would have to be able to prevent citizens from general access to the park. In other words, did the Glen Rose Chamber of Commerce have a contract with the Somervell County Water District to rent the facilities? If so, then what kind of arrangement does an average citizen need to make to rent out the park? How much? For how long?

What was a little surprising was to find out that the Water District didn't have a contract spelled out with terms for the Chamber. In fact, the only thing that Darrell Best asked for initially was to be able to use the park for a fireworks show IF the Chamber got enough money to do it. Nothing was spelled out about VIP parking or closing the park for parking to county residents, etc, nothing about any contract to rent out the park and/or parking spaces for exclusive use for VIPs who paid extra money, etc. To add to this, apparently not everyone at the Water District knew that the Chamber was planning to do this, only that they were going to have a fireworks show.

Now for gossip. I heard that when Kevin Taylor of Wheeler Branch found out that the Chamber was using the park in this exclusive way, he told someone from the Chamber, basically, that they  couldn't do that. Apparently then, that representative quit the Chamber, and we noticed that suddenly the terms of the public being able to park at Wheeler Branch changed, to where the park would be open to ALL. (Still had some questions about that, seemed very dicey to me, as there was some question still about the charges for the pinkies-up VIPs). IF there were some that paid special rates for parking and then, gasp, all of a sudden the parking was to be open for everybody, including the non-VIPs, was that money refunded or did those that liked the extra stroke just suck that up and figure they could still sit in their exclusive tent that was undoubtedly guarded to make sure non-VIPS couldn't get in.

Comments?