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Massive lines shut down Build-A-Bear's first Pay Your Age event
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Landon Penovich dresses the bear he built during the grand opening of Build-A-Bear Workshop in Farmington, Wednesday, Aug. 5, 2015. On Thursday, July 12, 2018, Build-A-Bear cut short its first-ever Pay Your Age Day event, citing an "unprecedented response." - photo by Ravell Call, Deseret News

On Thursday, Build-A-Bear cut short its inaugural Pay Your Age Day event.

"Please be aware: Based on the unprecedented response to our Pay Your Age Day event in our early opening stores, we are experiencing significantly longer than expected lines and large crowds," the store announced on its Facebook page early Thursday. "Local authorities are requiring us to limit the lines and crowds due to safety concerns. We understand this is disappointing. We are working to address the situation, and we will be reaching out to our valued Guests soon."

But just a few hours later, Build-A-Bear announced it was prematurely ending the one-day promotion that allowed stuffed animal lovers to buy a furry friend for next to nothing.

"Per local authorities, we cannot accept additional guests at our locations due to crowds and safety concerns," Build-A-Bear announced in another Facebook post. "We have closed lines in our U.S. and Canada stores. We understand some guests are disappointed and we will reach out directly as soon as possible."

Customers took to Twitter early on, discussing the large turnout and their experiences.

News about build-a-bear pay your age on Twitter

News about build-a-bear pay your age on Twitter
Email: lottiejohnson@deseretnews.com
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Have You Seen This? Street musician slays with clarinet
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Better than almost every face-melting guitar or drum solo. - photo by Facebook video screenshot

THE BIG EASY — Yeah, yeah, we all know that New Orleans is stuffed to the gills will incredible musicians.

But knowing that fact and then hearing that fact are two different things. You can step into any number of jazz clubs on any given night on Bourbon Street, and you’ll probably be impressed with virtually every act. Or you can sit at home on your comfy couch and watch this featured video.

In the video, you’ll see a woman who is in the groove. She is swinging hard, and wailing on her clarinet with a practiced expertise that makes it sounds so easy.

From note one you’ll be drawn in; your appreciation will grow with every second, and then your face will melt off when you realize how incredible she really is.

If you’ve never played a woodwind or a brass, you may not know everything that comes with a performance like this. Lung capacity and breath control are huge factors in keeping your notes clear and loud, and hitting those high notes is especially difficult.

So when this woman hits that high note and holds it for several seconds, you know you’re dealing with an exceptional musician. It means she has worked hard for years to develop skill on top of her natural talent, and we get to benefit.

It kinda makes you wonder how we let people get away with mumble rap and autotune when talent like this exists in the world.

I wish this video were longer, and I wish I had more information about this woman, but as it is, we’ll just have to appreciate the little flavor of New Orleans jazz posted by the Facebook group Clarinet Life.

Martha Ostergar is a writer who delights in the ridiculous that internet serves up, which means she's more than grateful that she gets to cruise the web for amazing videos to highlight for your viewing pleasure.
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