urban scavengers

Cutting thru Denver’s Civic Center park on my way home from work thru the brisk, fall-like night yesterday I saw something strange.  

A man with a metal detector; making slow sweeping arcs across the freshly cut lawn.  He was definitely a civilian, with a big beer belly spilling over his dingy, stained jeans.  My first thought naturally was, ‘another kook, doing something kooky in the epicenter of kooksville, Civic Center park.’

Then I saw the others.

Three others.  

Wearing the exact same outfits.  Apparently, all using the same equipment and even decked out with walkie talkies.  They were spread far and wide throughout the park.  Laughing to myself about the futility of seeking treasure in a place constantly overrun with all manner of homeless, druggies, and general lay-abouts who spend more than their share of time face down on the grounds here, I had a sudden realization.

The past 72 hours saw half a million people trudging across these same lawns during the 2008 Taste of Colorado.

Drunk people.   Wearing jewelry.  Mishandling cellphones.  Spilling change as it slipped thru their BBQ sauce slathered fingers.

I wonder how big the metal detector dorks’ take was?

I wonder how often they’re here.