Tuesday is Arrival Day at Avila University; it’s the day we all move into the dorm, set up our gear, and get reacquainted after a year apart — and, of course, meet first timers.I arrived at around 5:30 PM, driving in from the airport with Jeri Ellsworth and Andy Molloy in tow. The first surprise was that Avila was really on the ball this year, with someone handing out the room keys at the office in Marion Center; in past years, the KansasFest committee had to deal with the keys themselves.
Once that was accomplished, and our stuff had been lugged to our rooms, it was time to wander the halls and say “Hello” to all our old friends, and to greet those we’d not met before.
The heat was impressive, with the thermometer peaking at 100° F, and there was much gnashing of teeth as we headed out to Sweet Tomatoes in Overland Park to eat dinner. Fortunately, the temperature came down a good bit while we were in there, and it was much better when we left.
Upon our return to the dorm, it was time to hang out and goof off. After a few hours of roaming the halls and checking out each other’s gear, a number of us coalesced into the lounge on the first floor and chatted until around 3 AM, at which point we started to disperse to get one decent night’s sleep before the main event.
Wednesday’s first event is the cookout, followed by the first sessions of the week. We’ll have more reports soon!