I have to admit, I had my doubts. It was Friday when I learned that the streets on either side of the Central Branch of the Indianapolis Public Library would be shut down Saturday morning. I was emailed a pass and given instructions for getting the police to allow me to pass through into the parking garage, but I knew that everyone who wanted to attend the Lucha Libro event would really, really have to want to get there to deal with traffic, road closures, and the parade.
My daughter and I arrived just before 9 am. Turns out we were one of the lucky few the police allowed to enter the garage. By 9:30, all vendors were being turned away and made to park elsewhere. The library staff was nervous. “The parade was supposed to be next weekend,” one of them told me. The guys who organized the event from La Sardina remained optimistic, but with only a handful of vendors set up and waiting by the time the building opened at 10 am, we were all wondering if the event would be a bust.
It was anything but a bust!
Lucha Libro was a first of its kind free event celebrating of Lucha Libre wrestling hosted in the gorgeous atrium of the downtown Indianapolis library. The event included vendors of wrestling memorabilia, arts and crafts related to Lucha culture, and of course, lots and lots of Lucha Libre wrestling. In spite of the traffic and parking situation, the crowd began to gather for the day’s festivities as soon as the doors opened. I don’t know where they parked or how far they had to walk, but no one seemed to mind. It was a beautiful day, and the families and fans that braved the traffic situation came ready to have fun.
The wrestling got under way around 11:30, about half an hour after it was scheduled to start, and fans were treated to some terrifically entertaining matches. There were plenty of masked men and luchadores performing death-defying aerials and acrobatic maneuvers, but there are some surprise treats that delighted the indy wrestling fans in attendance. Not only did Calvin Tankman put in an appearance, delighting the crowd in the “technico” role by squashing a “rudo” who insulted the crowd, we also got Dylan Bostic vs. Dale Patrick, a match my friend Randy (the guy who got me into wrestling books all those years ago) commented he would have paid to see.
It took the non-wrestling fans and kids a while to get into the spirit of things. The bi-lingual master of ceremonies, who did a tremendous job all day, brought the crowd along by explaining the good vs. evil nature of Lucha Libre and helping the new fans know how to play along. By the third match of the day people were beginning to get into the spirit, and when the first luchadore took to the air, flying over the top rope to land on an opponent, the gasp from the crowd was magical.
By the end of the afternoon, when technico Jake Omen won a title vs. hair match to save his long locks and win the Lucha championship, the crowd in the atrium had easily swelled to near 300. “Any independent promoter would kill for a crowd like this,” Randy commented.
Many of the fans who came early stayed for the full day’s activities, and folks who just happened to be visiting the library ended up sticking around as well. I had a fantastic time not only enjoying the wrestling with my daughter (who was seeing wrestling live for the first time) but sharing a table full of Jim Mitchell memorabilia with fans.
I don’t know if the library and the boys from La Sardina have plans for the future, but I would say the event was a smash hit. Here’s hoping this becomes an annual tradition.