 |
| The Killoran stage (mapio image) |
Activity at the park stage is so rare as to seem nonexistent. I have told friends that the church had better hope the sun is under the clouds. Seems like that's the only way to pull off a halfway successful event there. I realize that the old cement is now gone. If this removal was intended as a jump-start for the Killoran stage, seems like it did not work.
If the sun is out, people just seem averse to sitting close to the stage.
An outdoor church service reminds me of the days of the Morris Community Church. Remember them? A nice group of people but they could not sustain the enterprise. Remember when word circulated that they would move into the UBC building? Was accepted as fact for quite a while. I always thought they had a wonderful arrangement with the MAHS auditorium. Maybe the burden of paying rent was too much. I would hope that the school was not too demanding on this. What else would be going on there Sunday morning? And certainly a church crowd would not impose much wear and tear.
Seemed rather a shock when we heard the Morris Community Church would be no more. What was the wellspring of that church? Did that foundation just slowly erode away? Why? We can speculate. I saw that church as built by members of my generation who had gotten disillusioned by the mainstream denominations. There was a lot of that feeling among my generation. We had grievances with a basis in the big issues of the 1960s primarily.
The generations that have come along since, either accept or reject Christianity in its standard, established form. No need for a revised or rebellious model. If you choose Christianity, get on board with an established church. So it appears the Morris Community Church withered away and finally went out of existence. It made frequent use of East Side Park in summer.
I'd ride bike past the park, going to and from my work at the Morris newspaper at its old location, and feel so refreshed just hearing and seeing the activity at the park. The First Lutheran event on this coming Sunday should offer a reminder. But we need to hope so strongly for the sun to be under the clouds.
I am embarrassed for this community, to think back to events there that had people gather around the perimeter of the park, only. I remember a four-person performance by UMM tuba specialists. Great musicians obviously, although I have reservations about the tuba as a featured or solo instrument. That aside, there was a moderate turnout of people "sprinkled" as it were around the edges of the park. And yes, this was a considerable distance from the stage.
I get attacked for being too blunt sometimes, but this scene was a "joke." Come on, put on your common sense hat. If the park was such a great place for this stuff why do we hardly ever see performance events there?
Speaking of revived memories, we can embrace the images of the old Prairie Pioneer Days. Our community just let this joyous event die. And I mean it when I say joyous. Looks like something pretty profound happened in our culture, for this to happen. We are no longer such social animals?
I do wish First Lutheran success for the coming Sunday. But I doubt that it's any prelude for increased use of the performance stage. Maybe the whole idea is to just try to show that the stage has a reason for existing. I'd be delighted to report a greater role for the stage in community life. It has not happened.
Even with the old PPD, use of the stage seemed negligible. In the time since, I remember only one time when a music event was held with fair success. I mean with people seated close to the stage. It was the UMM jazz band in early fall, with a cool and pleasant temperature, little wind and most important, the sun under the clouds. The director was Jason Squinobal. People assembled and projected enjoyment. So, maybe once every ten years? Forget it.
Am I right in my assessment of all this, or might an alternate theory be simply focused on Morris apathy? Del Sarlette of this community has suggested that Morris have an "apathy festival." Problem is, as Del explains, "no one shows up for the planning meeting." Rimshot.
My current post on my "Morris of Course" blog recalls the last year of the "old" Prairie Pioneer Days. The old PPD was centered at East Side Park of course. For what it's worth, I do have rich memories, so a pox on you if you label me "negative." Half the people who assail me as negative try to spend as little time in Morris as possible in summer. Their objective is to "get to the lake." This has been offered as the prime explanation for why the old PPD was discontinued.
I write about how the Morris Community Band was not even asked to play at the park in PPD's final year. Not much of a stretch to conclude that certain community leaders wanted PPD to die. PPD was tying them down on a prime summer weekend. Many of us of course actually stay in Morris through weekends and maybe even the July 4 holiday. It's where we live.
Money's honey?
Also in my current "Morris of Course" post, I write about how I have put out feelers for making a financial contribution for MAHS music to fill a need I personally feel exists. When I talk about money, it ought to break through the wall of apathy here, n'est-ce pas? But maybe not.
Talks among three of the principals on this matter have broken down, unfortunately. We cannot get on the same page. So I will just leave my checkbook in the drawer, I guess, unless someone comes up with a spark of motivation. But in Morris MN? A spark of motivation? A stretch, perhaps.
You may read my "Morris of Course" post by clicking below. The headline is "Thinking of community focus, youth, music." And I do thank you all.
Important reminder: First Lutheran of the ELCA is a church you can feel welcome attending if you disagree with the Supreme Court's decision to erase Roe vs. Wade. We respect women's reproductive health rights. The ELCA is struggling now. Morris MN is highly attuned to Donald Trump which can make things an uphill struggle here. Our mayor has been quoted in the Star Tribune saying he voted for Trump. I didn't think that was necessary. I suppose the Good Shepherd people are elated about our "new" Supreme Court.
- Brian Williams - morris mn minnesota - bwilly73@yahoo.com
No comments:
Post a Comment