Thank you, everyone, for your kind words. It is wonderful to see an event like this come to fruition and know that it is appreciated by so many. We had a terrific team pull it all together this year, from the planners (Sonja, Ann, Cathy, Steve, Peter, Paul, and yours truly) to the musicians, most notably Peter and Patty. The staff and owners of the Olde English Parlour, especially Randy himself, also deserve our gratitude.
A while back, I mentioned that Paul and I were going to Stratford last weekend for a little R&R. My comment was in jest, of course, but I wasn’t kidding about being tired. I had been burning the candle at both ends for quite a while, and it finally caught up with me after Stratford. So I apologize for being AFK for the past week, but I needed to hibernate for a while. (I also had to write about eight reports this week. I really hate it when so many come due at once!)
Anyway, here are some of my memories from Stratford Weekend 2007 (in no particular order):
- Warren & Kelly’s jaw-dropping harmonies
- Art’s heart-warming hugs (maybe I should call them “Art-warming” hugs!)
- The enchanted look on Lori’s face as she obligingly listened to the song I had composed for 2008
- Putting Deb in my bed and frantically running back downstairs to make sure Paul knew so that he wouldn’t walk in on her and earn a THWACK! from Jack
- Hearing not one but two of my songs played live by a full band for the first time
- Sonja calling me ‘Noelle’ all weekend
- Watching Steve share his technical expertise with someone you might not expect
- Meeting that party animal Lil Blue Monkey and his sidekick Ray – who has a fantastic set of pipes
- Handing out BR.com post cards to other concert-goers at the theatre
- Meeting and chatting with Amber from BR.com
- Seeing the looks of delight and amazement on the faces of my aunt and cousins as Saturday night unfolded beyond their wildest expectations
- Farmer Dan’s complete conversion to a full-fledged Crazy
- Feeling the love as fans met face to face for the first time and embraced like long-lost relatives
- The look of total surprise on Peter’s face and the catch in his voice as he accepted (on behalf of himself and Patty) the gift of a plaque for service above and beyond the call of duty
- Serenading Craig on his birthday
- Steve’s oh-so-soft-scarf
- Chris Parson’s surprise visit to the Meet
- Fran and Edgar’s surprise visit to the Meet
- Listening to Ryan tell the harrowing tale of how that darned airline nearly didn’t get him to Stratford
- The grand entrance by the English Parlour Crazies band in their matching robes
- Realizing that I had forgotten to pack my fancy scarf and going shopping in Stratford on Friday before we had even checked into our hotel, yet finding the perfect glittery purple scarf to match my glittery purple top
- The delicious food and the super-cheerful barkeep at the Olde English Parlour
- Singing with so many talented and energetic musicians and devoted fans
- Meeting Cathy and Linda and Jenn and discovering they were even nicer in person than they were on the Board
- A couple of really solid Blue Rodeo concerts in the world’s best venue
- Giving away some awesome cool prizes to so many happy fans
- Reconnecting with a ton of “old” friends whom I hadn’t even met any a mere seven years ago
As I told my boss on Monday when she asked how my weekend had been, I had waaay too much fun for someone who didn’t touch a drop of alcohol the entire time!
A huge thank-you to everyone who participated in Stratford Meet 2007, whether by attending, bringing someone new, planning, setting up, working, playing, singing, or contributing prizes or souvenirs. You all made it a weekend to remember! 