Show up and win!
Sometimes you win just by showing up.
This is a lesson we often learn in real estate, in dining, and definitely in music.
A couple of weekends ago, Debi won big after I spotted some ultralight aircraft overhead on a beautiful Saturday morning.
Rushing over to the East Haddam airstrip, we found a group of friends playing with their handmade planes and helicopters. By the time I got the camera gear out of the car, Debi was climbing into a tiny cockpit and taking off with some guy who assured me he’d bring her back eventually.
After toodling around the neighborhood, buzzing our house, and inspecting the Chester Fair from the air, pilot Bob and Debi returned to the ground, each with a smug look of satisfaction on their faces. I have a friendly hunch Bob was taking pleasure in the fact that he’d thrilled a woman some fraction of his age, while Debi seemed convinced I was right to urge her to get dressed and come out with me for an adventure. Hey, I *will* take credit for that!
The good news is that we can all get lucky like this, just by saying “yes” more than “no.”
As an example, this Friday, September 12, you can say “yes” and get a twofer in the bargain: a pleasant visit to Haddam’s spanking new Farmers’ Harvest Market on the Higganum Green, and (probably) a sneak-peek at upcoming Church House Concerts performer Idgy Vaughn.
I am very pleased to announce that I am the co-founder of a venture I never expected to get off the ground so quickly: a new Farmers’ Market. Lofted by the efforts of a crack and motivated team of dedicated volunteers, the Higganum Village Market sets off on its maiden voyage this Friday, September 12 from 3:00pm to at least 6:00pm on the Higganum Center Green, which is located across from the elementary school at the junction of Rts. 154 and 81 in Haddam. From Rt. 9 South, take exit 10 and head South on 154, or from Rt. 9 North, take exit 9 and head north on Rt. 81 into town, and watch for the gathering on the Green. You’ll find over twenty (yes, 20+!) booths with area farmers, food makers and artisans offering their fresh and delicious wares. Higganum Center merchants will also be offering a variety of specials, including a wine tasting, a beer tasting, and special food deals during and after the event. Nothing this cool has happened in Higganum Center for quite a while, and it’s all because a few motivated folks decided to make something happen, and showed up to do it.
I can’t take much of the credit, though, since while these dedicated folks are making the market happen, I’ll be at the airport, picking up Idgy Vaughn.
Idgy, of course, is our next headliner, set to play the Church House on Thursday, September 25. Debi and I are just about jumping out of our skins in anticipation of this show. Most every morning for the past several weeks, we’ve been waking to ask each other which of Idgy’s songs is stuck in our heads. Oddly, we never have the same song playing, but we get a laugh by comparing which of Idgy’s tunes has inextricably velcroed itself to our brain cells overnight.
Idgy happens to be a finalist in the WUMB Boston Folk Festival songwriters’ contest, and is competing for top honors in that event this Saturday. We’ll be accompanying her to Boston for this event. But if all goes according to plan, Idgy will arrive in Connecticut just in time to drop by the Higganum Village Market to play a short set on the Green’s gazebo before the market closes Friday evening.
So if you’re up for a little adventure this Friday, (no pilot’s license required), come to the very first Higganum Village Market, where we’ll be celebrating the bounty of the harvest with some of the area’s finest farmers and the foodies who love them. Hang around for a while, and watch for the guy with the dazedly star-struck look in his eye, and the cute redhead singing like she just wrote a bunch of million-dollar tunes and can’t wait to pour them on you like local honey on fresh-picked berry pancakes.
When you realize you haven’t had enough yet, don’t miss Idgy’s full-length show at the Church House, also featuring ace guitarist Will Sexton on Thursday, the 25th. Reserve your seat for that very special event in a hurry, though.
As the saying goes: “This could be the best day of your life. The least you can do is show up for it.”