Be our guest!

JONATHAN CHARLES FOX
Posted 8/23/17

As a general rule, working on the weekend is okay, I suppose, but every once in a while, it’s inconvenient. With Labor Day fast approaching, (arrgh!) I’m reminded that there will be …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

Log in

Be our guest!

Posted

As a general rule, working on the weekend is okay, I suppose, but every once in a while, it’s inconvenient. With Labor Day fast approaching, (arrgh!) I’m reminded that there will be cook-outs and parties that I won’t be attending, because I’ll undoubtedly be at a gallery opening, a play, or a concert somewhere in the Upper Delaware River region. While those events are fun to participate in, they are, at the end of the day, work. Truth be told, unless it’s work related, my phone does not ring. Either folks think I’m too busy to come to their barbeque, or I’m not on their radar when the invitations go out, but either way, there are times when I’d like to just relax like nine-to-five folk and kick back.

That said, I was surprised to receive some invites over the last week that gave me pause. Two weddings (when it rains it pours), a dinner party and a spontaneous boating excursion all came my way, along with a carefully worded email requesting my attendance at the Forestburgh Playhouse “Gala in the Garden.”

“Please,” the missive from producer Franklin Trapp said, “Come to the party as our guest and enjoy the afternoon. Leave your camera at home and just relax for a change!” To be honest, I was flummoxed. “Oh, sure, leave the camera at home… that seems likely,” I thought, while accepting Trapp’s invitation.

Mulling that over, I reflected on the barbeque that I had gone to the night before. Having made a conscious decision to “leave the camera at home,” I felt slightly out of place simply being a guest and found myself picking up the host’s camera and snapping away. I suppose I just feel more comfortable behind the lens, even though there was no lack of conversation. Understanding that it was not expected of me, I did take my “work bag” along to the gala, and although I schmoozed like crazy, I did take photos and was glad to have done so. The gala serves as a fundraiser for the playhouse and most of the attendees were there to show their support for the organization, which has truly (IMHO) stepped up its game since Franklin took over a few years ago. The resident company entertained the crowd and I did have fun but knew that I’d be writing about it here, so… yeah, I’m calling it work.

Anticipating the solar eclipse on Monday, I then went to work with one hand, hacking up a pair of safety glasses for my camera lens, and followed instructions for making a “pin-hole camera” that I found online, while dialing Bethel Woods Director of Marketing Julie Kaufman with the other.

“Is there room for me in the Event Gallery?” I asked, referring to the Bradstan Cabaret Series presentation of Mark Nadler in “Cole Porter After Dark.” Having checked out Nadler’s resume, I was excited. “Do you need a photo pass, or is it for personal enjoyment?” Kaufman asked. “Both,” I responded. “Yes, I think I can do both.” Nadler is a first-class entertainer and incredibly well-versed in all things Cole Porter, so his 90-minute show was wildly entertaining and informative to boot. “Some of these songs are 40, 50, even 60 years old,” Nadler said. “Why, then, do we still love them?

The answer is simple: Cole Porter was a genius, and that became abundantly clear as Nadler tickled the ivories and our funny bones while regaling the audience with anecdotes regarding Porter’s illustrious career. Songs like “Brush Up Your Shakespeare,” “You’re the Top,” and “In the Still of the Night.” transported the crowd to the golden age of songwriting that Porter inhabited while entertaining friends like Noel Coward, Irving Berlin and Fannie Brice. What a night.

When the sun rose the next morning, I finished the details on my makeshift camera lens and filter, decided to leave you-know-who at home, lest she look up at the sun with unprotected eyes, and headed out for a “Pop-up Eclipse Festival” at the Monticello Farmers Market. The advertising said that there would be a rep from the Catskill Astronomy Club, but upon my arrival, I heard that there was a last-minute cancellation. “But you’re here,” exclaimed market manager Pamela Greenlaw. “So it’s all good!”

While hardly an expert, I had picked up a lot of info regarding the eclipse and had my pin-hole camera and a spare pair of safety glasses to share with market-goers, including a group from Steve’s Camp at Horizon Farms. The “city kids” were excited to sell their wares and view the eclipse while sharing stories of summer sessions on the working farm, where they acquire skills that last a lifetime. One counselor said, “The bus pulls into this wide-open space and you’re afraid to get off, but when it returns, you’re a different person and don’t want to leave.” Nodding with understanding, I took a photo of the kids.

“Welcome to the Catskills,” I declared. “Be our guest!”

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here