Kermesse: What's in a name?

Wednesday history lesson: Why the name Kermesse? kermesse (pronounced Ker-mess) literally means "fair" (as in street fair) and refers to circuit races of approx 60-80 miles in length that run through the streets of Europe. Kermesse (pronounced Ker-mease) is the mispronounced version of the word used by the young racers on my first team that went to Belgium and returned with tales of short circuits of mixed quickly alternating pavement, dirt & cobbles. Kermesses are those mythical and exaggerated races come to life.