Picking a winner

I have not had great experiences when asked to pick a winner. I've agreed, over time, to participate in community and school events but  historically, it really has not gone so well.
I once was invited to judge a beauty pageant. It was not a happy experience. I recall being whisked out the back way in order to avoid irate parents waiting for those of us on the selection panel.
Another time, I was recruited by a 4-H agent to choose the best entries in a student egg cookery contest. At the time I was the food editor and columnist (among other duties/ titles) at a local newspaper. I wrote of my experience in one of my weekly  columns. The reception of the column, as with the experience sampling some of the entries, was not so pleasant.
So when a few weeks ago, I was asked to help select floats entered in the annual Christmas parade where I live, I hesitated to accept based on those aforementioned experiences. Problem was, the young committee member who solicited my participation is a particular favorite of mine.
I agreed. For how could I say no to someone I hold in such high regard?!

Then I caught a break! My services would not be needed after all due to the parade being cancelled due to weather. Then (wouldn't you know it?!) they rescheduled.  And so it was I was riding in a golf cart up and down the brick streets of my home town, deciding which of the entries were most worthy of prizes. The categories were narrowed by the fact than many of the original parade participants were not able to make the rescheduled event. Even with that, there was some amount of discussion between myself and my two co-workers who were also asked to pick the winners. In the end, we agreed on the winners. There was no tar and feathering. No one got sick or injured or even threatened.
It was, a happy and pleasant experience.
Of course, the fact that I just love some of the young committee members who drove and/or rode along, helped with that. Did I meantion that some of them are my favorites?