Today was Mapleton Daze in the little northern town where we spend our summers.  It is small town Americana at its best.  There was hula hooping contests, hot dog stands, pony rides, and possibly the oldest and worst Elvis impersonator in history.  It also had Rose and me doing some walk-around juggling and magic.  Although it wasn't Gospel performing, it made people smile, which in itself is a type of ministry.  For a while we performed in the children's area, milling around among the pony rides and puppets.  Then we moved down to Main Street, and juggled by the face painting booth. 

Then we were to be in the parade.  We were assigned to follow, who else, ancient Elvis.  Rose and I waited, warmed up, and played for 1/2 an hour waiting for the parade to step off.  Then, 20 yards into it, the clouds, which had been looming all day, opened up and poured on us.  We decided to go back to the van and return to camp.  It poured the rest of the afternoon, so we made the right call. 

It wasn't a huge venue, but it was a fun way to spend a day supporting our 'other' home town.