It’s finally here.
Riverfest Elora takes place this weekend and my inner band groupie chick is jumping for musical joy at the thought of three days of live music right in my own backyard.
I haven’t been this excited by an event since, well, last year’s Riverfest.
You know this event is a big deal when the Carpenter does two of the following things: agrees to attend a large social gathering where he will be seen with me in public (outed), and volunteers his time and resources to help make the event happen.
Yep. It’s that big.
You see, the Carpenter and I don’t socialize much outside of a very small circle of friends, and even then, we can’t often be counted on to participate. It’s not that we don’t like people; it’s just that we are content to do our own thing on our own time.
I’m social for a living. He’s social by means of barking orders at a crew of workers. It’s kind of the same thing. (It is not the same thing). Mind you, I’m the social butterfly in our relationship. When we do venture out, I can be counted on to fly solo, flitting about making connections with people.
My husband is more like a moth, he flies directly to the nearest light bulb and stays put (this is not entirely true, but it’s not entirely false either).
For us, Riverfest is a chance to blend into a crowd and disappear into the music together. And we don’t even care that we’ve never heard of half the bands before. Our days of indie music fell by the wayside when we stopped having the time and resources to travel to shows and follow the bands. We both still love music as much as ever though, especially Canadian bands, and a live performance is the ultimate experience. It will be just like old times, only better, because this is home.
Sometimes it takes an event like this to remind you to appreciate where you live.
Especially as this three-day festival takes an army of people to make happen. The majority are community volunteers who do everything from taking tickets at the gate, to selling merchandise, filling the toilet paper in the outhouses or putting up the tents to later take them all down. Entire families volunteer for this gig. Plenty of youths get their volunteer hours in. Others give up their time in exchange for the experience of being a part of a little festival that has grown with careful consideration for the community it calls home.
While we can’t wait to see the bands, especially those we know well, you can bet we’ll be under the tent for the live feed of the Tragically Hip concert; an emotional performance for sure. We have so many memories linked to this band, all of them good. This will be another one.
And at the end of each night, while I, the social butterfly, share details of the concerts on social media, the Carpenter will set to work on the grounds of the park, cleaning up the remnants of the party as part of his volunteer commitment.
So remember to bring your reusable water bottles and beer mugs, and please, do not litter in our beautiful park. The Carpenter thanks you in advance. Me too.
Party on.