Time to Kvetch: Parties in the Park

Always one to check out live music, particularly if it is free, I dropped by a Party in the Park yesterday to see what Clayton's Shaw Park had to offer.

Parties in the Park are a once a month deal in which there is food, drink, and live music. Sounds like a regular recipe for summer fun right?

We walked in expecting to see crowds of people sitting out with picnic baskets, laying on the grass, enjoying a tribute to Prince and were instead treated to a scene I can only describe as goyische, or fratty... I mean, they actually made a whole website about this kind of thing (HTwDB).

Maybe it's that the timing was right after work, or maybe due to the location being Clayton, or maybe it was the margatirass-on-tap, but something just didn't feel right or authentic about listening to music in Shaw Park surrounded by that particular crowd.

Needless to say, we walked right in and walked right out, suffering only minor uneasiness when we were asked to pose by a Kabance photographer.

Luckily, I was able to get down to the Botanical Gardens to catch some music while surrounded by a much larger and more diverse audience.
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Park Posse

Wednesday is turning into 'flex the network' day. Free admission to the Botanical Gardens, live music, and no open container law means there is a good chance you'll find me at MOBot under the stars, and given yesterday's turnout, more than a few friends as well.

We walked, biked, and drove from all over the city for a taste of the Botanical Garden's Wednesday night jazz series, and no one was disappointed. As the light drifted away like a saxophone solo to 'Girl From Ipanema', bottles of wine were uncorked, and so were conversations. Did I mention that it was free?

The six degrees rule was definitely in full effect as everyone seemed to see people they knew as we traversed the sprawling gardens in search of a patch of grass to set up shop on. Somehow, we had everything we needed, solo cups, wine, blankets, at one point I make a remark about how good strawberries would be and FR pulls a container of strawberries out of her bag, it was eerie.

The key take away (if I can borrow business jargon for a minute) is that there we were, the foundation of the community I've been searching for/trying to create, and it was as simple as jazz in the park. No programming or email lists necessary, just good people, getting together to enjoy the company of other good people. Maybe we are on to something. I wonder if there is a way to make a living doing this kinda stuff.
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