Founders' Firelight Festival - 2000

Lorelai walked through the center of town quickly, sidestepping the workers arranging kindling, hanging papier mache stars, and setting up booths for the Founders' Festival.

The Founders' Firelight Festival had always been one of Lorelai's favorite town traditions. It was the first town event she had ever attended as an actual resident of Stars Hollow. She wore a sad smile as she remembered cozying up in a blanket with Rory and listening Miss Patty tell the story of the young star-crossed couple who gave her new town its name. Surrounded by kind faces, warmed by a mug of hot chocolate (and half a cup of Founders' Day punch), and lit by a large fire in the center of the square, Stars Hollow felt like a magical place.

Of course, Rory was 16 now. She would be attending the festival tonight with Dean. And Lorelai would be spending the evening at her parents' house. Alone.

Founders' Firelight Festival - 1995

"Mom, hurry! We're going to miss it," the 11 year old girl said as she practically dragged Lorelai toward the center of the town square. Rory had been excited for the festival ever since she heard about it in Miss Patty's dance class.

"Come on, Mom!"

Rory had come home from dance class the day before and insisted they go to the Founders' Firelight Festival. "And it's a special occasion. Our first festival! Miss Patty says the first time is always special. Unless it's with Fernando." Lorelai chuckled at the comment that thankfully went over Rory's head. "Mom, are you listening? We need to dress up." Rory told her mom she wanted to look "as pretty as the night sky the founders' saw when they first came to Stars Hollow." Lorelai had found a package of gold foil stars in the dollar store that she spent hours the night before sewing into constellations on an old black dress. The dress sparkled almost as brightly as Rory's eyes when she saw all of the decorations in the square.

"Hurry," Rory prodded her mom, pulling her along. I should not have worn the boots with the heels, Lorelai thought as she rushed to keep up with her child. Rory insisted Lorelai dress up too. She was wearing jeans, a midnight blue top with a v-neck that dipped a little lower than she usually wore, and giant gold earrings in the shape of stars. And unfortunately not my tennis shoes.

Rory and Lorelai made it to the front of the group of people crowding the gazebo just as the mayor, Harry Porter, finished his speech. "People of Stars Hollow, and our many friends. It gives me great pleasure to preside over our annual Founders' Festival for the twenty-seventh time. Many a true love has had it start right on the spot where I stand. And I don't mind telling you that at this very festival, right by this gazebo, is where I met my own true love, Dora. We have been married for 38 years, and it all started right here. And now my friends, if you will join me in lighting the fire."

Lorelai tried to keep Rory still, but the girl was practically jumping up and down in excitement. What was taking them so long?

On the gazebo she could see Harry in an apparent argument with a few of the locals. She recognized Taylor from Doose's Market but did not know the younger man next to him, who appeared to be frantically searching his jacket pockets for something. Harry had deftly covered the microphone with his hand but Lorelai could still make out some of the discussion. It seems that the younger man, Kirk, had not brought anything to light the fire with.

"You had one job Kirk. One job," she could hear Taylor shouting. Taylor's face got redder as Kirk picked up two rocks and desperately tried to start a fire by smashing them together.

"Those aren't flint stones Kirk, sugah," Lorelai's neighbor Babette shouted. "The only fire you'll make with those will be coming out of Taylor's ears!"

As Kirk moved on to furiously rubbing two sticks together, Taylor wrenched the microphone from Harry's hands to announce: "Does anyone have any matches?" He was met with groans from the crowd.

"Every year," Gypsy, the town's mechanic, grumbled.

"I have a cigarette lighter," an angry looking man Lorelai had never met before offered up to Taylor. Taylor was on his 10th try flicking open the lighter before the man spoke up again. "I never said it worked."

"How does that help, Bootsy?" Gypsy shouted as Bootsy shrugged.

"Can someone just find Luke?" Harry asked.

"Luke at a festival? We'd have a better chance waiting for the logs to spontaneously combust," Taylor scoffed in response.

"I'll get him," Miss Patty said as she crossed the square to the diner.

. . . . . . .

Thirty minutes later Lorelai was sitting cross legged on the ground next to Rory. Kirk had been staring intently at the logs for the past 20 minutes trying to start a fire using "the power of his mind." Lorelai was very glad she thought to bring the blanket. And the red vines.

"Our hero has arrived," Miss Patty announced, weaving her way through the crowd, trailed by a very annoyed looking Luke. Lorelai had met Luke earlier that week. It was a Monday morning, she was desperately in need of caffeine, Weston's was unexpectedly closed, and Babette directed her toward Luke's diner, which apparently was not a hardware store. Lorelai was pretty sure the grumpy diner owner hated her and her histrionics when ordering coffee. But it was the best coffee she had ever tasted, so despite her promise to the man that she would go away after one cup, she had already been back to the diner every day that week.

"Fire! Fire! Fire!" Lorelai started to chant. Rory immediately joined in, quickly followed by the rest of the town folk.

While striking a match to light the bonfire, Luke lifted his eyes and searched the crowd to find the origin of the chant. His eyes settled on the girl with the bright blue eyes who had been haunting his diner all week. Of course she would be the one to start the chant. Luke glared at her and Lorelai returned his glare with a brilliant smile which, despite his best efforts, served to immediately soften his expression. He did a double take when he saw the young girl with the same blue eyes next to her enthusiastically chanting "fire" along with the crowd. And now she's corrupting her little sister.

. . . . . . .

A little while later, Lorelai and Rory huddled under the blanket listening to Miss Patty speak to a small crowd about the history of the Founders' Festival.

"This, boys and girls, is the story of true love. A beautiful girl from one county, a handsome boy from another. They meet and they fall in love. Separated by distance and by parents who did not approve of the union, the young couple dreamed of a day that they could be together..."

Lorelai clutched her glass of founders' day punch while listening to the story. Miss Patty had practically forced Lorelai to take a cup. "It will help you relax, honey." The punch tasted like a mix pure ethanol and sugar, and her glass was still more than half full. Every so often Lorelai would forget how strong it was, take another sip, cough, and then steal a big sip of Rory's hot chocolate to get the taste of the punch out of her mouth. Rory was too caught up in the story to notice that her mom was drinking all of her hot chocolate.

After finishing the story of the founding, Miss Patty had started to tell stories with highlights of past Founders' Festivals. Apparently, at the Festival three years ago, Taylor had accidentally stood too close to the bonfire and his pants had caught on fire. Following the Festival Taylor had a town ordinance passed prohibiting the rhyme "liar, liar, pants fire."

Knowing Rory would be entertained for a little while longer, Lorelai stood up, wrapped the other end of the blanket around Rory, and, taking both cups, went to get a refill on the hot chocolate. And decide on the best way to dispose of the punch.

"That stuff will kill you, you know. It's even worse than coffee." Luke smirked and nodded toward the cup of the strong brew Lorelai was contemplating pouring out.

"And for once, I actually believe you," Lorelai replied and, after a pause, continued. "If I pour this out on the ground, do you think the grass will die? Or does founders' punch just kill people?"

"The real question is how much will Taylor fine you when the grass dies?"

"Ugh, he's such a dictator. Well, then give me liberty or give me death," Lorelai proclaimed while swallowing the remaining punch in one gulp. Which she immediately followed with a coughing fit.

Luke's hand went to her back. "Are you okay?" he asked with concern. "That stuff should really come with a warning label or be regulated by the FDA or something. It is basically poison. Poison that is handed out freely, practically pushed on any unsuspecting, new member of town. Really it should just be outlawed completely." Luke's voice had started to rise in anger.

"Settle down Eliot Ness, I'm fine," Lorelai got out between coughs.

"Well, I guess Eliot Ness is better than being called Duke," Luke grumbled. For some reason, the woman had taken to calling him Duke every day at the diner. He couldn't be sure, but he suspected she knew his real name and was just calling him Duke to bother him. Still, that didn't explain why it bothered him so much.

"Mommy, are you okay." The little girl with the bright blue eyes had suddenly appeared next to him. Mommy? He thought. That girl must be at least 10. There is no way she is old enough to have a 10 year old.

"Aww, Rory sweets, Mommy's fine. I'm just recruiting new members to my Prohibition movement."

"Miss Patty said I should get you for the next story."

"What year of the Festival are we up to now?"

"Oh, she's not telling stories about the Festivals anymore. Now she's going to tell us about the time she danced in a cage for Tito Puente."

"Well, let's cha cha on over there then," Lorelai said while giving Rory a spin. "Good night, Duke!"

"Good night," Luke sighed as he watched the crazy woman, with the bright blue eyes dance away. I should probably ask what her name is, he thought. After all, she knows mine. At least I think she knows mine.