Tropical Heat Wave!

OK, maybe temperate zone heat wave, but I haven't felt so wilted in a while. The Earl Scruggs concert last night was a great show on many levels. The first few minutes I was feeling sad that I was there alone and not with my late father who would have loved the spectacle and the music. But it soon raised my spirits tremendously.

Even though I could tell they had the cooling system cranked as low as they could take it, the atmospheric heat came indoors with us. Hearing old favorites just took me back in time to a place where neither heat nor cold mattered. Ballad of Jed Clampett, You are my flower, Foggy Mountain Breakdown, . . .

The crackle of Earl's banjo contrasted greatly with the electric bass and drums, but that just reminded me of what a rebel he'd been for so many years. I do remember the old time music crowd in Mount Airy and Wilkes County back in the late 60's would grouse about Flat & Scruggs doing new-fangled things. I can only chuckle about that now since Earl Scruggs is still picking with style and grace.

And who in the world would have expected to see Earl Scruggs playing a duet with Rob Ikes, the Dobro guitar star who normally hangs out with Blue Highway. Man that was inspired genius as far as I tell. It had been a few years since I saw a lot of his playing when I was wondering among festivals in the mountains of NC, Tennessee, Virginia and even West Virginia back in the 80's. Those were special times and at least he's only gotten better.

Seems like $20 on the 20th was good for the merchants here. I spent more, but managed to find things that I really can use or pass along as thoughtful gifts. It's not just about increasing sales, while that is vital, but it's also about helping us be clear about our intentions and methods of shopping. It's a responsible way for us to guide our actions in the future as we hope to returning to a time of economic progress later this year.

I've never been a shopaholic type of guy, and sometimes I even have to force myself to go out for staples. However, I do need to be thinking about replacing some things that are wearing out, as well as finding gifts for the family. I've always had a real problem getting my Christmas shopping done on time, so maybe I can have a more relaxed holiday this year and try to remember what I've already bought for the relatives! The latter point will be more of a challenge than anyone wants to admit!

Friday is for Fiddling (or Banjo too)

We had a great Alive After Five last night, even after the weather and the severe storm siren conspired to scare folks away. Steep Canyon Rangers were even better than I'd expected. On top of being great musicians performing mostly their own original music, the band members were probably the best dressed group on our series in some time. And given how hot things were before the frontal system blew through, I was amazed they were willing to wear jackets for even a few seconds.

The audience included more than a few folks who were visiting from out of town, and I think we had some local folks who might not have been to one of our events in some time. I think we were lucky on the weather since it cooled things down about 5 - 10 degrees, and even luckier to get such a great band here when they are routinely playing big festivals. On top of that they've been playing with the original wild and crazy guy (Steve Martin) for some well-received performances in Los Angeles and New York City.

And we're blessed to be getting a second night of live music of greatness! Native son Earl Scruggs is back in town to perform tonight on the Malcolm Brown stage. Everyone's heard Earl on records to MP3's and seen him on TV, heard him on radio, but this will be the first time for me to experience him in person. I put him in the category of Bluegrass Legend, and I'm glad to be adding him to a life-list of people like Ralph Stanley, Grandpa Jones, and Doc Watson that I've seen up close in great performances.

While it might be unusual to get such high quality performances in rapid fire succession, we oughtto be getting used to having more live music in our community. When Art of Sound comes back around, and then the Don Gibson Theater opening, we will be a regional center for live music.

But you don't just build a theater and become a musical draw for 100 mile radius. it turns out that Shelby and other key pockets of the foothills are traditionally hotbeds of music. It turns out that I grew up in another one of those pockets up in Surry County, just south of the Virginia line. Shelby is just north of the state line, so maybe there's some magic in those imaginary lines on the map!

Monday aggravation

Some creature stole two large flowering annual plants from one of our planters over the weekend. Beautiful plants too. I know they didn't pop out easy since they'd rooted in very well and we were keeping them water daily whenever the rains didn't do the job for us.

If it happens again I will install video surveillance and/or camp out in the office all weekend. It takes a remarkably low-down person to rustle flowers.

On to more cheerful things--Steep Canyon Rangers are coming on Thursday! I've seen them on TV, heard them a lot on local radio, and now get to see and hear a live show. I hope we have a huge crowd.

Seems like just a blink of the eye

Things can change for the better in short order. But it takes a little planning, checking with some folks for either permission or support, and then a few people working together to make change happen.

Yesterday, Wednesday, was spring cleaning day at Uptown Shelby. I was at home sick. Really I was. The guilt of not being a part of the work is way too big to mess with for me.

But Allison Gragg and Sandy Smith from the Uptown staff organized a day that left us in better shape, inside and out. Inside, we got some help from Brian Butler, our summer intern who helped move desks and such so vacuuming and mopping could take place. Everything was smelling fresh and clean when I came in. The back windows had been washed for the first time in years too!

Outside, the team and other volunteers in the immediate neighborhood went to work clearing weeds, debris and forgotten items in the alleyway that runs parallel to Lafayette and South Trade. What a difference!

The alley project is only just begun, as we hope to create a more attractive landscaped pedestrian pathway that is an asset to the busiensses and residents of the block. A mere six hours and some hard work by a group of people made one building much nicer, and certainly removed some lingering eyesores in the process of improving the design and function of a larger outdoor space.

End of another week, and the work is just getting started

Meetings, and not empty sessions of yapping at all, and writing some good letters, gathering information on properties and managing to finally find my way to Owl's Eye Vineyard, our local winery that is surprisingly fine. . . What a week. We even got what will likely be a close to final draft of the Uptown Shelby budget done, and our in-house storage areas are in the neatest shape in perhaps 28 years.

But last night as we were sitting at dinner to discuss Uptown Shelby's readiness for the opening of the Don Gibson Theatre, I had a moment of panic. We were sitting in a local restaurant that was about 85% full. I suspect three or four more restaurants were about 75% or more full. Three other smaller eateries that specialize in breakfast or lunch were closed. If there had been a performance by a popular band at Gibson that night, where would we seat 200-300 extra guests who might want to eat before or after the concert?

We were being guided through the thought process by Frank Jernigan, who directs group travel sales and marketing support for the NC Commerce Department's Division of Tourism. This morning we were joined by Frankie McWhorter, a Division of Tourism Development Officer based in Rutherfordton. At least we've got great advice and connections with other people involved in similar tasks.