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Hot Times Festival – Columbus, Ohio – My Experience

This post documents my experience on September 10, 2010.

The Hot Times Festival, organized and brought about completely through volunteers, is like a miniature Com Fest with a few alterations. Some of the same people from the Com Fest also plan or take part in this festival as well.

In fact, when we showed up…

…we were just in time for the Com Fest Volunteer Appreciation Party…

…where Com Fest shirts were everywhere you looked.

I have to admit that there was a bit of nostalgia with all those volunteers around me. I even had a tear in my eye…

…when I noticed the multi-colored Com Fest mugs hanging from this vendor booth (click pic for a better view).

But let’s not reminisce too much. Hot Times was a nice festival all its own…

…with vendors lined along the street…

…selling everything from bug jewelry to stone/wood furniture…

…as well as clothing for the present…

…and the future.

And you got to browse your heart’s content…

…as you listened to the music play from the different stages.

Meanwhile, in the main courtyard, people of all different backgrounds came together…

…to dine, talk and share some spirits…

…thanks to the help of drink tokens.

Fortunately, you didn’t need tokens or tickets for the food…

…which they had plenty of…

…from pizza to barbeque…

…whether stir-fried or deep fried.

They even had some great German desserts from Juergen’s Bakery in German Village.

And when you were done wiping cream puff leftovers from your nose…

…something awaited you on the other side of a magical portal….

…a HUGE collection of art cars.

(and port-o-john).

These cars were painted…

…and stuck with things…

…like bottle caps and toys…

…and other things…

…and MORE toys.

In fact, there was no end to art car possibilities…

…or limit to how far you could go with them.