La Montañita Co-op Blog

Santa Fe Bandstand Opening Night Recap!

by Adam July 8th, 2010 | No Comments

Some folks who didn’t make it out to the Bandstand’s opening night Monday have been asking for a little recap. Here’s my take: I was there from 4:00-8:00, and loved every minute. If you were around later, please share in the comments!

It was a bright night on the Plaza. I showed an hour before setup, in time to hear Pedro working his ancient, magic accordion, with a friend on percussion. Got a cup of tea from the Plaza Café and staked some lawn for myself. The air was warm with anticipation.

Setup went fast. By 5:30, we had our little tent set up, Co-op posters festooned, and twenty pounds of organic lollipops, vegan chocolate, BOGO coupons, soap and vitamin samples, and kid-friendly Cliff bars ready to deploy. Clan Tynker Family Circus was setting up, with antique trunks and suitcases, expert makeup and gorgeous vintage costuming. Hot Sauce was sound-checking. Folks were gathering. It was time to wait. And eat.

At 6:00 prompt, Clan Tynker took the reigns with magic, juggling, and kid-friendly jokes. Unlike so many other family-friendly variety shows, they exuded professionalism, sincerity, and a love of craft. From a knot jumping around a rope (or were they three ropes?) to bad-but-loveable puns while juggling, to the “Danger Show” finale, their tone matched the air: bright, warm, electric.

After David from Outside In thanked sponsors and Mayor Cross welcomed all to the Plaza, it was my turn. I said a few words about Co-ops–namely, our dedication to foods freshly sold, fairly compensated, locally and organically produced. I also touched on the immense economic presence of Co-ops the world over… before hurling organic lollipops, chips, chocolates, Cliff bars and t-shirts into a hungry crowd. The adults scrambled as fast as the kids.

Next up was Shannon McNally and Hot Sauce, a northern Mississippi blues rig. Shannon sounded a bit like a smoother-voiced Gillian Welch, and her band earned the name. Great style and technique rippled through the crowd. We served the remaining goodies and answered questions on the side. Then Santa Fe got to dancing, at all ages and skill levels. To be blunt, it was beautiful.

As my throwing arm isn’t destined for the majors, Wayne from the SF store had toured the back of the plaza with lollipops while I talked. When he returned, I took the last of the lollipops in a large wicker basket and saw that every wanting mouth received one. Also, in its way, beautiful.

Around 8:00 we realized we’d been working a bit over 12 hours each, and decided it was safe to pack up the tent and make our respective ways home. We’d have loved to stay for Hot Sauce’s full set, but exhaustion got the better of us. We hope you enjoyed what we only imagine continued to be a fantastic event! See our facebook page for the full photo recap.

Have you liked the shows this week? Be sure to come by in Santa Fe and tell Will, our loveable Store Team Leader. And come by especially if you got one of those tasty-looking Buy One/Get One deli sandwich coupons. I wish I’d snatched one.