Everyone loves a summer festival, right? Right. During the colder seasons, I am quite happy to be a homebody - cooking (and eating!), baking (and eating!), decorating, generally puttering about indoors. But come summer, it's all about expanding myself and getting out and about in the great outdoors. Saturday evening on The American Sound we will squeeze one last drop out of summer festival season with Festivals from David Gillingham Summer of 2008. To go with it, Pork and Beans by Luckey Roberts and other American masterworks. While getting a bit teary eyed about the end of this year's summer festival season, I began thinking about why I love summer festivals so much. Here's my list of the top 10 reasons to love - and, as festival season winds down, to miss - summer festivals:
- Being out in gorgeous summer weather - Speaking personally, I never met a high heat index I didn't like. And while the heat is challenging for many, I suspect I'm not entirely alone in favoring summer weather. It's no coincidence that summer festivals are generally outdoors.
- Doing something different - The end of winter = the end of cabin fever. Summer festivals give us a chance to experience the extraordinary. A Venetian teapot festival, you say? A root vegetable festival? A festival of recycled bicycles? I'm there.
- Doing something different with people you know and love - Summer festivals bring people together. Grab a friend or three and go.
- Doing something different with people you don't know and don't (at least yet) love - Summer festival admission: usually free. Summer festival people-watching: priceless.
- Summer festivals are an excuse to eat festival food - Let's be honest: you love funnel cakes as much as I do. But sure, go ahead and bring your picnic of homemade quinoa-walnut-arugula casserole and seaweed salad to a summer festival. I respect your health consciousness, and I won't stop you. But I might snicker a bit at your Dorothy Gale picnic basket.
- Taking your mind off the problems that we adults think we need to solve - It's simple: If you're an expert on rebuilding global economies or bringing about world peace, then please do that instead of going to summer festivals. If you're not an expert in one of those things, then go to a summer festival. Your soul and brain will thank you.
- When your friends ask, What did you do over the weekend? its cooler to say, I went to a festival than Nothing. - Need I say more?
- Taking the pressure off your creative mind but if you do frequently have to tell your friends you did nothing over the weekend, no need to stress out about finding something to do during the summer. Find a festival and go to it.
- To see and be seen The festival people-watchers need someone to watch. Please do your part.
- Festivals are vital for communities It takes a lot of work by a lot of people to bring hundreds of people together in great weather to enjoy a panoply of creativity. But a festival brings a community to life. And that alone is worth the work of putting them together - and the price of admission.
So, these are some of the reasons why Ill be counting the days till next summer. What about you? Hope youll join me for a festive farewell to summer festival season on The American Sound, Saturday at 6 p.m. on Classical 101!
