The party that was

Well, after 44 years, the frustration is over. On Monday night the second-place team in the standings lost their match and fell out of contention for the series title, and Brann won the championship! The fact that the team itself didn't play that day didn't dampen the festivities any; we live on a direct line into the center of town from the stadium and watched a parade of fans in cars and on foot pass under our window, waving flags, honking horns, and generally having a wonderful time. The local brewery has come out with a commemorative "gold" beer; we stopped in at a bakery for a commemorative "gold" Danish on the way home this afternoon; the team has people passing out gold roses to fans all over town.

The celebration is far from over, though. There are more festivities planned for this weekend, when the team will actually be playing and the fans will be together for the game, either at the stadium or in town watching it on the big screen.