Who's Your Leather Daddy?

NOTE: I'm typing ths entry from home (while my phone recharges) and we've got wireless keyboard which SUCKS! It skips some letters. I'm trying to catch all the hiccups but it's highly aggravating. Please bear with us.
Friday was a pretty good day a work. I went to lunch with some folks near our office. As we were walking to the restaurant, we noticed that there was van unloading "costumes." That's not that unusual. We're located in Playhouse Square (the second largest performing arts center after Broadway.), so there are always productions coming through and unloading seemingly strange items for upcoming shows. The only thing is how would I have not heard about (and made fun of) a musical tribute to the village people? Because that what the outfits seemed to be for. There were military outfits, black leather numbers and a pair of leather hotpants with flourescent yellow piping. The guy I was with said, "Oh, it must be a biker convention." There was a bike parked nearby and a couple of guys with handlebar mustaches but those outfits were a bit extreme even for bikers. So we went and ate and on the way back there were still items being unloaded and my buddy was determined to get to the bottom of this. So he asks a bystander what the deal is. Before the guy answers I notice a vendor unloading her wares, it's a box of patches some of them reading: Leather Girl, Leather Love and Leather Daddy. And we learn that it's Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend (C.L.A.W. - so that's who was out to get inspector gadget all the time?!). I thought people we're already pretty aware of leather but whatever. And then I remembered that I was downtown last year for C.L.A.W. I was parking to go to the Tribe game when we saw all these older men in shirts without sleeves (some of them sheer), leather pants and the mandatory leather police cap. Frankly, I'm shocked I didn't mark it on my calendar. I learned more about the event from Cleveland Convention &Visitors Bureau:

The sixth annual CLAW takes place April 27-29th in Cleveland at the host hotel, Wyndham Cleveland Hotel at Playhouse Square. The convention itinerary includes a silent auction featuring a wide variety of leather and gear, artwork, and gift certificated for travel, entertainment and other services. CLAW will also feature its second Juried BDSM art show. Field trips include visits to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, Cleveland Botanical Garden and Western Reserve Historical Society.

I wish I could've been at the botanical gardens for when the ladies-who-lunch crowd ran into the CLAW!