H2Oi… will it return?

‘Gotta admit that the “reaction” to the last(?) unsanctioned car rally chez-nous was, while seemingly over-the-top, ALSO in what I recall as direct(ed) concerns and some righteous (again, IMO) fears after the what can only be described as debacle earlier last summer after Rally ’23 #1 – busloads of Xtra OPP, “security” posts/gates at town entrances, and LOT of planned anti-PR directed towards rally-participants and the organizers.
AND>>>
It worked. NO Rally #2.
BUT. A sizeable – unpublished IIRC – bill for services entertained.
IMO, again – goal accomplished.
THEN. STARTS. THE, FUROR.
With those (businesses, mostly, IIRC) most “concerned” prior, becoming the LOUDEST opponents of the actions taken.
I will freely admit that the prior discussions obviously held with the “suppliers” of anti-rally services was not made widely public. “Some” knew. Most didn’t.
FWIW, ’twas ok with me. ABSOLUTELY no sense in publicizing your “defence” to the offenders PRIOR to the “game”.
The result? NO RALLY. NO smoking tires, NO loud horns blaring, NO racing along WB streets, BUT a virtually DEAD long weekend – last one of the summer – biz-wise. IIRC.
WHICH SHOULD HAVE BEEN EXPECTED.
* POTENTIAL visitors could NOT have known of the countermeasures – would kinda’ defeated the purpose.
* SO. They stayed home. And Safe.
* Rally organizers got very early word of the “WB Defence Strategy” and bailed.
And yet.
It appears that few to NO ONE here at “the Beach” remotely fathomed that having one’s “cake”, and eating it, too, WAS IMPOSSIBLE.