how famous does an event have to be to worry the police?

[lauradi7dw]

We spent somewhat over six hours at the Lowell Folk Festival yesterday (Saturday).  Good weather (hot during the afternoon, but there was shade, very pleasant in the evening). Good music. Good enough food, including a Burmese thing (I've forgotten the name) that is fried dough with chick peas. Many thousands of people attend, if only to wander around while the streets are closed.  We did not see any police, although there were lots of park rangers from the National Park, including four who had reflective vests on over their uniforms that said "Police" and someone with a Police Auxiliary shirt on directing traffic. If an event that size had been in downtown Boston, there would be police (and soldiers) everywhere.  Is the feeling that no terrorists would bother a folk festival?  That Lowell isn't as famous a place as Boston (Jack Kerouac notwithstanding) so nobody would care if it got blown up?  I'm not complaining about Lowell.  It's more that I am complaining about the paranoid reaction during some other events.  (yes, I remember the marathon bombings.  I'm complaining anyway).