The headline above is the title of an old song that I expect very few will recognize. I’m not even sure why I know it, but the music and lyrics have been kicking around in my head for days. Why? Sadly, your guess is as good as mine. 

If pressed, I would suppose it’s because I was recently asked to participate in a Celebrity Pickleball event sponsored by the folks at Bold Gold Media, in partnership with Ellenville Regional Hospital. It was held at the Duggan School in the Town of Bethel. 

I heard “I won’t play, don’t ask me” reverberate in my noggin, because sports and Jonathan are not exactly “soup and sandwich,” if you catch my drift. 

I accepted, of course, but made it clear that I’d be taking photos from the sidelines as a wacky crew from Catskills News Talk Radio’s popular morning show “Ciliberto and Friends” gathered to raise awareness of men’s health issues. It was all in recognition of “Movember,” a global initiative created to help men live happier, healthier, longer lives. 

“Since 2003,” their website informed me, “Movember has funded more than 1,250 men’s health projects around the world, challenging the status quo and transforming the way health services reach and support men.”

Those who answered the call included The Laugh Tour’s comic Rich Kiamco, Sullivan County district attorney Brian Conaty, New York State Sen. Peter Oberacker and Town of Bethel supervisor Dan Sturm. Additionally, Ashley Leavitt, the president/CEO of the Sullivan County Chamber of Commerce; educator Karen Holden; Robert Green Auto’s Robbie Green; and Camille O’Brien, coordinator of the Sullivan County Drug Task Force, were in the house (I mean gym) to not only support Movember, but to have fun while doing so. 

Oberacker cajoled, but I maintained my stance from the sidelines while watching Conaty and Kiamco wipe up the floor with the others. Gidget whined, desperate to be chasing those wiffle-type balls skittering across the gymnasium floor. Oberacker eventually took to juggling in order to entertain those of us with the good taste to not even try their hand at pickleball, but truth be told, he held his own against worthy opponents. 

When O’Brien, who also serves as Oberacker’s regional staff representative, attempted to get a paddle in my hand, I heard that song once again. 

I won’t dance, don’t ask me,

I won’t dance, madame with you

My heart won’t let my feet do things that they should do.

And so I did what I could, and took some photos of those braver than I, eventually allowing the dog to race around and chase balls with the best of them before taking my leave. 

Arriving home and feeling slightly less than, I decided to look over the photos I had snapped earlier when checking out Art in Sixes at the Delaware Valley Arts Alliance—because I’m better at that than sports.

According to the program, Art in Sixes “represents the incredible breadth of creativity and talent that calls the Upper Delaware Valley and Sullivan Catskills home. For twenty years” it informed me, “DVAA has invited artists to participate in this exhibition and channel their creative process into physical dimensions no greater than six inches [in any direction].”

Feeling more up to that than playing pickleball, I had submitted a few of my photos for consideration and am pleased to share that four of them are presented in this year’s exhibit. And that exhibit  (it’s not trite if it’s true) is bigger and better than ever before—showcasing the incredible talents of 220 regional artists and featuring more than 600 tiny works of art. 

Celebrating its 20th anniversary (man, do I feel old) “Sixes” continues to be my favorite exhibit of the year, and is simply astounding. Not only that, the show runs through Sunday, December 22 and is (IMHO) an ideal holiday shopping destination for that special someone on your list. You know what they say: Shop local, buy local, stay local. Small Business Saturday beats Black Friday every time as far as I’m concerned—and it’s just around the corner, traditionally celebrated on the day after Thanksgiving, which would be Movember—er, November 29.

In conclusion, let’s keep in mind that I’ll continue to take photos of this, that and the other thing, but I won’t play pickleball and  more than likely, “I won’t dance, I won’t dance, merci beaucoup.” 

Want more on this and that? Visit www.movember.com and www.delawarevalleyartsalliance.org. 

Fun Fact: “I Won’t Dance” was written by Oscar Hammerstein, Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach for the 1934 London musical “Three Sisters,” which “flopped, and was quickly forgotten” before being reworked with additional writers Dorothy Fields and Jimmy Mchugh for a film version of the 1933 musical “Roberta.”—Information from Musicmatch