IT seemed like a good idea at the time.

Thinking about the upcoming tourism season, and that the Harbour Nights festivities could be made livelier, John Harvey, president of the Bermuda Hotel Association, called pianist James Richardson of Allied Entertainment Services, and suggested he organise a show.

Mr. Richardson discovered how a simple, positive notion was derailed by an unlikely combination of "Nimbyism", cultural conservatism ? and Osama bin Laden.

It is traditional in the world of show business to emphasise the plucky "show-must-go-on" philosophy. Mr. Richardson discovered a philosophy which emphasised that his show would not go on if it might cause any angst to any one at any time.

"I worked on a plan for the show, and it was going to start at the end of Harbour Nights, at 10 p.m. in Barr's Bay Park, by the waterside. We were going to have a big band, 15 pieces, and dancers, and we were going to hand out little party bags and glow-in-the-dark beads.

"We planned to finish by midnight, according to the existing rules, and everybody who heard the plan seemed to like the idea."

"Everybody" included Mayor Lawson Mapp, and the "Mayor's Barr's Bay Bash" was on track, until he heard from his aldermen, corporation officers, parks manager, and everyone who, in the words of tourism promoter and activist Tony Brannon, "always (find) a reason for NOT doing something in Bermuda".

Philip Barnett, chairman of the Restaurant Division of the Bermuda Chamber of Commerce, was entirely supportive of the idea of a party in Barr's Bay Park ? but not on Harbour Night.

"The original plan called for the gombeys to lead all of the tourists, with their beautiful, bulging wallets, completely away from Front Street and all of our members' bars and restaurants, right at the close of Harbour Nights.

"Frankly, Harbour Nights stops, and we fill up. People come in for a drink, listen to the entertainment, have a late supper. It's really big business for us, for retailers too, and the last thing we could do was support that initiative, a competitive entity, on that particular night.

"On another night, it would attract people who would not otherwise be there, and they might come in for dinner first, or for a drink later. It was only meant to last two hours."

Mr. Richardson prepared "plan B" which moved the party to Monday nights, and the time to 9 p.m., finishing at 11 p.m. The forces of inertia and caution were now mustered in earnest. Even Tourism Minister Ren?e Webb joined the fray on behalf of the party people, but it was not to be.

Corporation officials had already informed Mr. Richardson that the party could not be held in Barr's Bay Park because the grass might be frayed if there was a party for two hours every Monday night, and the residents of Woodbourne Avenue, or certainly those abed by 11 p.m., could be disturbed by crowds and noise.

Other Hamilton venues were considered and quickly discarded. Albuoy's Point is too small and cluttered for such an event, and anyway, as Ms Webb was informed by the Mayor, "the public goes there, and the Corporation feels the show will disturb them".

Number One Shed? Osama bin Laden and the threat of international terrorism has taken care of that location for the duration. According to the Mayor's advice to the Minister, "The new seaport security rules take effect on July 1, and no activity can take place in Number One shed because of proximity to the ships."

Furthermore, in addition to the anti-terror restrictions on music in Number One Shed, Ms Webb was informed that the Mayor's title could not be appended to any such event, and so Mr. Richardson's plan for "The Mayor's Barr's Bay Bash", in the absence of Mayoral approval and the presence of the Barr's Bay ban, was now reduced to "Bash".

Mr. Barnett, also a member of the Entertainment sub-committee of the Bermuda Alliance for Tourism, sent a very positive e-mail to many of the senior Government figures who appeared supportive of Mr. Richardson's entertainment project.

He wrote, on March 17: "To throw my two cents in, this type of show MUST happen. Mr. Richardson appears to be passionate about making a 'New Bermuda' type of show. It has all the elements of being progressive, flavourful, exciting, fun, and above all, BERMUDIAN.

"In my humble opinion, a show of this nature is exactly the direction we MUST move in to put Bermuda back on the map and attract some new 'thirtysomething' tourists to (augment) the 'sixtysomething' tourists who have now become the mainstay of our industry."

He thought that it was "a weak excuse that the grass might get trampled, and it might bother the residents on Woodbourne Avenue. The issue must be one of the needs of the many outweighing the concerns of the few. Grass grows, and 20 people can shut their windows for an hour. Many Bermudians who rely on tourism for their bread and butter can't apply such a simple fix."

Mr. Barnett conceded that he and his fellow restaurateurs were opposed to the Harbour Night plan, but was concerned about senior Government figures deferring the future of Bermuda's entertainment planning to the well-being of Barr's Bay's grass, and apparently ceding veto power over National Party Planning to the Corporation's parks manager.

"I was asked to go on the sub-committee because they wanted the input of restaurants and bars and James Richardson was trying to do something, and had developed a plan for a really good Bermudian show, with an entirely local band, dancers and crew. It is worrying that something so trivial as grass, or music playing until 11 p.m., could de-rail this plan.

"I can't fix the problem, but there are people out there who can fix the problem, and I'm not sure why they are not doing that. As the Restaurant division, as members of the Chamber, we can call for change, and highlight where we think they should be changed, but we can not make the changes. That can only be done by the Government of the day. I feel optimistic that we are finally moving in the right direction, but I don't see a lot of focused action."

On March 17, Mr. Barnett concluded his e-mail with a passionate and powerful call for action.

"We must act NOW and SWIFTLY. Let Bermudian entrepreneurial spirit prevail. Take away the barriers and the bureaucracy and let's move in a new direction TODAY."

On the same day, Minister Webb, referring to the Corporation's objections based on faded grass, undue noise, and the spectre of terrorism at Number One Shed, seemed to accept that the party was over.

"I will not give my opinion on any of the above. It speaks for itself."