In July, my role as Catalyst for Community Engagement has continued to focus on concerts and The Meetinghouse garden! As we prepare for August, with more music, gardening, open mics, and crafts nights to come, here’s a quick recap on the past month.
During the first two weeks of July, my band and I were busy touring the east coast and upstate New York, plus a quick stop in Montreal! We played 10 shows in two weeks, and finished our adventure at The Meetinghouse on July 17th for a tour homecoming. This homecoming show was seriously special – with so many familiar faces and friends to welcome us back, I felt so proud to be a part of such a glowing community here in Ridgefield. The previous night, we met up with our old friends in the Chicago rock band “Frontega” for a show at AS220, a community events space in Providence. They traveled with us down to Ridgefield for The Meetinghouse show before turning back westward. We were also joined by an emo band from Hamden, CT called “Dulcit” whose first performance at The Meetinghouse exceeded all expectations. We hope to see both Frontega and Dulcit return in the future!
On the last day in July, we held our very first outdoor acoustic show, enjoying the beautiful summer sunshine and the original music of Meetinghouse friends. An eclectic lineup of acoustic musicians sang through the night, featuring Margot Miller and her ecstatic call-and-response style, Pigeon Vulture, our dear friend and his wild narratives, Sad Matt, a returning Meetinghouse performer from Poughkeepsie, NY; Form & Essence, a duo project of mine and Anna’s, and finally, a brand new performer to The Meetinghouse, Liam Cunningham, a beautiful story-teller and wonderful guitar player. The night featured a BBQ cookout, with hotdogs and hamburgers and some bean burgers for the vegetarians made by our very own Debbie and Heather. It was also our first fundraiser show – we collected donations for a close friend of Sad Matt’s to escape a difficult living situation in Kansas and raised $400!
I want to extend a huge thank you to The Meetinghouse community for coming together to show our support. We’re here to support not only our friends – but friends of friends in far away places as well. Everyone deserves the love and kindness found in community. Thank you so much!!
Finally, the construction of a community garden continues! You may have noticed the long awaited pile of woodchips that now sits at the edge of the parking lot. With its delivery, the volunteers have been able to lay a solid foundation in the garden pathways. Next up is soil, which we will be shipping in in August, followed by the fence, then planting!!
If you are interested in helping out in any way, whether through getting your hands in the dirt or helping as we collect tools and infrastructure, please reach out to me at james@meetinghouse.life !
Looking ahead, stay tuned for the following events:
August 11th – 5pm. Open mic night at The Meetinghouse!
August 14th – 6pm. Rock & Roll music in Shield’s Hall!
Featuring Mildly Allergic, Bush Ranger, & Lootbug.
August 25th – 5pm. Queer Crafts Night at The Meetinghouse!
Materials provided! Details coming soon.
August 29th – 6pm. Frogs and Muzzle on tour from Boston!
Come check out two awesome touring rock bands, featuring local alt-rock by Newfare!
Thank you!!
James Hooker
Catalyst for Community Engagement
