The song “Summertime” by Gershwin in the musical Porgy and Bess (1935) remains one of the most favorite songs written for a musical for the past 100 years.”Summertime and the living is easy” is the line repeated in popular culture to apply to the feelings experienced when the trials of living are lifted a little bit when summer arrives. No matter that the musical wasn’t all happy, as it was about love during a difficult time between the First and Second World Wars. The economic upheaval by the Great Depression during this time affected the American mood as well. Those of us who enjoy a variety of musical genres often cite that jazz song’s refrain to apply to their strong feelings for the sunny days, blue skies and hot weather of this season. It is hard to find anyone at the very beginning of summer who claims that they hate it. The general mood is happiness — complainers and nay-sayers aside. The Dixieland jazz band music played by Chicken Noodle Soup to appreciative attendees of the first summer concert this past Friday evening of this annual treat is a great example. It was hosted by ERBM, MACC and many businessmen and businesswomen who know how important these “Meekerpaloozas” are to the community and support them enthusiastically.
We haven’t seen our country’s strong divisiveness change much. However, our community’s summer get-togethers make a great difference in bringing everyone out to enjoy time with little negative discourse interrupting the fun. Kids and adults of all ages can be seen dancing to the music, participating in the other activities, and buying crafts and food from the booths or food carts set up in front of the old courthouse, where quite a few concert-goers spread out on the lawn. Light and easy it is for the entire evening, no matter what the weather or the mood of the day brings. Let the music play on…
By Dolly Viscardi
