That's Life: Sunday Outing Brings RewardsBy Phyllis McGuire
iBerkshires Columnist
06:10PM / Monday, July 25, 2011
Stopping to say hello to Jean Driscoll was a lucky move. |
There is a song that goes, "I love those lazy, hazy days of summer." Well, I love summer, but I do not want to be lazy. I would miss too many pleasant summer activities, if I were lazy.
On a recent Sunday, July 10, I drove to Spring Street in Williamstown to participate in a street fair called Sundays@Six. It is the second year the Williamstown Chamber of Commerce has hosted Sundays@Six, which I know from experience is a misnomer. I, therefore, left my home around 4 o'clock. It was a beautiful sunny day, so I wore my pink big-brim sun hat and a light cotton frock.
Because of the event, Spring Street was closed off to traffic at the Main Street entrance and the parking lot at the bottom of Spring Street was blocked off. With no where else to park, I pulled into a space in the lot next to the Williams College Facilities building on Latham Street, even though signs posted there read "Reserved for Staff." I figured no one would be working on Sunday. Nonetheless, I was a bit uneasy about the possibility that I was "asking for trouble" as my mother used to say. And as I walked away from my car, I was glad to see a stream of cars pulling into spaces with similar postings. At least I would have company if I were hauled off to jail.
Everywhere I went, people were smiling or laughing, except for a little boy I saw at a basketball hoop set up on Latham Street by the Williamstown Youth Center. The boy had tried a number of times to throw the ball into the hoop, but the closest he came was hitting the rim. Disappointed, he started to walk away, shoulders slumped, head down. "Wait," a young man from the Youth Center called out, "We have a prize for you." "How kind," I thought.
There were many vendors selling their wares - original artwork, jewelry, pottery, baskets, plants, hanging baskets and more. Always eager to do my part to help boost the economy, I purchased several items, including gifts. I will give the painting of a covered bridge in Vermont to a friend who has many happy memories of living in Vermont as a teenager. I bought a "just because I love you" gift for my daughter who lives on Long Island. She has decorated her kitchen with everything that speaks of country life, and the wooden plaque I bought to give to her has a country motif and says "Welcome to My Country Kitchen."
The mouth-watering aroma of freshly barbecued hamburgers and other tasty foods floated from tents set up in the Spring Street parking lot. A band played on the grass nearby, and couples danced to the rhythm of the music.
Across the road, parents wheeled baby carriages, little girls in pinafores and tykes in T-shirts and short pants rode scooters in front of Where'd You Get That, a specialty toy and gift store. Children and older folk sat at tables, playing board games and conquering brain teasers Where'd you Get that had provided for the public's use. It was, to me, a scene Norman Rockwell would have liked to recreate with his paintbrush and canvas.
As I was ambling along the street, I recognized the women sitting at a table in front of a display promoting Oldcastle Theatre's summer productions: "Laughter on the 23rd Floor," "The Last Days of Mickey & Jean" and "Night and Her Stars."
"Hello, Jean," I said to the woman who is Jean Driscoll, publicity director of Oldcastle Theatre Company. We chatted a few minutes, then Jean handed me a piece of paper of paper and told me to fill in the spaces - name, address, etc. "We are raffling off tickets to a performance," Jean said. "You could win."
"OK, might as well," I said as I penned my name.
At home later that night, I was savoring a dish of ice cream - you know, licking the spoon clean each time I took it out of my mouth - when the phone rang. It was Jean calling. "You won the raffle," she said. I was surprised; I haven't won anything for ages, not even a dollar or two on the scratch tickets I weaken and buy at the supermarket.
Yet, here I am a winner, at last. I really would like to see the Neil Simon play "Laughter on the 23rd Floor," which Oldcastle Theatre will present July 15-July 31, but who shall I take with me? Hmm, I'll have to look through my little black book.
I better end this column now. I have to get ready to go to the outdoor concert being held on the beautiful campus of the Sterling and Francine Art Institute in Williamstown. It is the second in the series being offered in July. I like listening to the music, and watching kiddies run to the bandstand, pony tails and feet flying.
As for me, I intend to keep running, as long as God let's me.
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