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So here we are, Durham, North Carolina. Chock-full of some of the friendliest people I've ever met. It seemed as if Durham residents have been biding their time since their city was founded, making their costumes and building community expressly for Tour de Fat to come through town so they can show off.
Everyone was eager to promote the vibrant community they love so much, telling us about the Beaver Queen Pageant, the women's arm wrestling league, and the "Marry Durham" event where any happy resident can "put a ring" of their own on the city they love so much.
Several local movers and shakers, including Catherine O'Brian, befriended us and got us set up with a place to leave our stuff for the next two weeks in fifteen minutes. Just like that, the benevolence and interconnectedness of Durham's community was proven in a manner of moments. I'd love to thank Bill Anderson and Catherine O'Brian so much for all their help and hands up.
The Tour de Fatlas, an interactive map of cartographic networking, was a great success. We had a display with a map of Durham and asked the lovely masses to point out the best places off the beaten path. We learned of craft scrap co-ops, new up-and-coming bike shops, great green markets, bike trails, and the latest on Duke University's energy improvements. Most importantly, locals got to contribute and learn from the map of their own town. We learned about 7 Stars, a brand new bike shop, that everyone in the area should check out as well. Durham hometowners seem to know their rivers, care profoundly about their storm water run off, and have a thing for local produce. It's hard not to be a garden snob, I imagine, when you live in a place just starting to burst with cherries, peaches, and tomatoes. Oh the fecundity! I do love Dixie!
People excitedly took the ideals of Tour de Fat home with them and grabbed our paper as a token to remind them of what Saturday's event was all about. The special Tour de Fat edition of the Matterhorn was loved by all that read it. Needless to say, we have great fans in Durham already. We even met some people who have subscribed to Boneshaker from the very first issue, which was surreal and wonderful—much like the Tour de Fat experience itself. We passed out a couple hundred papers—many more than we had dared to hope—and met people who we'll certainly come back to see. Many people asked if we were coming back next year so they could start working on their costumes immediately. Thank you Durham!
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