“Coming Home to a Place We’ve Never Been
Before”
As I sit contemplating the summer on this, our last day of
school, I can’t help but look back on our first Fest of the season, The Oshkosh
Irish Festival.
Nick wasn’t especially happy about our getting there hours
earlier than we needed to, but of course he never complained a bit. I wanted to be there with plenty of time to
get everything under control before Marty and Brian made it in from Door
County, Wisconsin. Funny, but my sense of timing reverted back to southern
Michigan time, and it felt that to go all the way up to Wisconsin must take
ages, although Google and Garmin both told me different!
What a wonderful surprise to find such a well-organized and friendly
festival! I encouraged Nick to get a
little nap in while I went exploring- finding our key contact people, talking
with the merchandise ladies (who are now friends and fans!), finding out meal
times, where the dressing rooms are, and any last minute schedule changes. While this could have taken hours, it took
less than one, so I had time to look about the grounds and become reacquainted
with vendors I’ve known from other festivals, and making sure everyone knew
what time they should take a break to come down to the main stage to come see
Switchback!
Brian and Marty had a smooth check in, and played to a good
crowd and got fantastic reviews! I met
my own little fan club, four Vietnam Vets who joked a lot, shed a tear or two,
and even opened up a bit about their war experiences upon hearing Falling Water
River from the stage. When I gave them
each a copy of the CD, then Switchback came off stage to sign them (and I
signed them too!) there were not many dry eyes in our little circle. I was so moved by these men who lived their
lives fully while carrying grief and hurt with them every day. I’ll never forget my “Christine’s Fan
Club”
.
That evening we went to hear our old friend Seamus Kennedy
play for a bit and made an early night of it.
The next morning it was up early and at the festival by 8:30 to prepare
for the premier of Switchback’s Hibernian Mass.
The choir was wonderful, the music was a joy, and there was much Glory
to God at the festival Sunday morning! After
the mass, we had free time to enjoy the music and relax until Switchback’s 4:00
performance. I fell asleep to the sounds
of the Pipe and Drum Corp as my lullaby. I woke up to find I’d all but slept
through lunch. Then it was show time,
again to rave reviews of the crowd.
We packed up with that “summertime feeling”, well satisfied
from a successful weekend, happy, and a little tired. Quiet conversation and comfortable silences
on the way home, and the hopes of returning to Oshkosh again next year.
~ Christine Pardee
