So every year in August, at our weekend/summer house on Fox Lake, on The Chain of Lakes, Chuck and I throw an all day music bash. As an amateur guitarist, my husband, Chuck, takes classes at The Old Towne School of Music. While many of the adult students come to our bash with their class groups to perform, there is NOT anything amateur about their performances!
The Old Towne School of Folk Music is devoted to adult study of music. It is a wonderful sight to go to the school and see so many adults learning, growing, evolving and changing as individuals through learning a new art form! I am still in awe at how many people are playing music in the hallways as they wait for lessons, study year round without missing a single session and are deeply interested in developing their skills, while having fun doing it.
From Rock to Blues, and from the Beatles to Swing, our Lake Bash offers everyone an opportunity to play. Many come just to sit in and play with multiple performing groups. Our bash starts around noon and ends well after midnight.
This past year, we had neon artist Jacob Fishman bring several of his neon works from his studio- the ones that just hang around his shop for his own enjoyment. Our ‘open till 3 am’ attracted a number of boaters as well, perhaps thinking that either a new bar or restaurant had opened on the lake. During daytime hours, the music attracted many whom were just drifting by on the water stopping to listen for awhile.
Our little cabin on the lake is transformed into a temporary music hang out for over 250 and growing. Our bash is equipped with portable toilets, a new feature last year, (our two bedroom one bath house can’t handle that kind of volume) as well as our own valet service generously donated from a neighbor who directs traffic for us!
Many of our neighbors come and join in the festivities and most everyone who comes brings a special dish of food they enjoy to share and pass.
This next August will mark the 7th annual Lake Bash, in 2007, and we hope if you are in the Chicago area you will join us. All you need is to email for directions when the time nears.
With a new year awaiting all of us, may 2007 bring many new exciting adventures to you. We know our Lake Bash will certainly be one for us!
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Sadly, our wonderful lake bash scheduled for 2007 was cancelled due to a torrent of rain that caused our lake to find its way into our backyard. Instead of our fun music bash, we spent the weekend sand bagging.
But we will be back in 2008. Every rose starts out in the mud. We were just busy growing some really beautiful blooms for this year…
8/2008
Well it is even hard for me to believe, but the Fox River flooded 3 times in 9 months. The first was during the week of our party in August of 2007, the second was in April of 2008 and the last time was in July. Prior to this round of flooding the Fox River had not flood for over ten years. Looks like our wonderful bash was not meant to be…