Or: How Ya Gonna Keep'em Down on the Farm...
We spent the day at the Farmers Market at the Lincoln City Cultural Center. It was an attempt to spread the good news about the Audubon Society of Lincoln City (ASLC) to a wider audience.
And, honestly, we were successful. I don't think we'll get more than two new members, if that, but we did put the ASLC into a lot of minds. And we let them know about the bird walks, etc. So, yeah, we had a very successful day.
But I'm starting at the end of the story. Let's back up to the beginning. Several weeks ago Jack, the President of our Chapter, mentioned that he'd like to grow the membership of the ASLC and so Carol and I thought we might be able to help, just a bit, by getting a stall at the Farmers Market and letting the folks know about the Audubon Society here in LCO.
So I did a little digging and then submitted the paperwork necessary for a stall at the Market. It's a good deal for non-profits because the Farmers Market will let you have a stall, when they're available, for no charge. And that means access to a large audience, for LCO.
And, so, there we were at 0755 this morning, toting our boxes and tent on over to Stall #35. And watching the Farmers Market come to life.
I know this isn't a real "Aha!!" moment, but I had not given much thought to the huge effort that goes into setting up this Farmers Market. First, the make-up for each week is fluid. Everyone that will be selling for that weekend must sign up by Friday evening at 1900. As they register the vendors, they assign them stalls. Finally, after the deadline, they can let out the empty stalls, if any, to the non-profits.
So we're not guaranteed a stall every week, but we are given a turn at the ones available and, for us, that turn came today.
And as we began setting up our stall, we were privy to the goings-on that happen as the Market begins to take shape.
When you reflect on it, it's amazing the amount of organization, cooperation and good will that happens in the short hour preceding the opening of the Market. First the managers come and stake out the area designating the space for each stall. You can see their small, yellow stakes in the ground there delineating the limits of each stall. We were #35.
Then there is the necessary hauling of goods and tents to each site. The managers provide some heavy-duty wagons but the regulars here, and there are a goodly number of them, have devised their own efficient, inventive and effective ways of getting their goods out and on display. And, by golly, they are good at setting up their goods.
This was taken at 0832. You can still get the warm effect of the morning sun coming through the fog. Look at all the work that has gone into setting up this one fruit stall. Thats a lot of work right there folks.
Seeing all the work they put into putting up their Fruit Stall, it makes me feel sort of silly for all the moaning and groaning I did getting our little operation set up. But set up we were and ready to go well before the 0900 kick-off time.
Tom and Caren came over to help us set up. That was greatly appreciated. It's always gratifying to see someone go out of their way to assist. And then the girls were off on a run to get a poster board for the stall and a heavier jacket for Carol.
It was a cool morning. It turned into an even cooler day.
Once we got the display set up, it was time for the inevitable, if I'm around anyway, commemorative pictures.
Hahahah, how am I to write my blog if I can't fill it up with numerous defining pictures? If I didn't have these then I'd have to do a lot more writing and neither you nor I want that! Oh, no, we don't!!
It was then I came to realize that being there representing the Audubon had certain unexpected and unusual responsibilities and obligations. You see, someone had noticed this small guy, this tiny bird, on the ground. The bird raised concern because he would stay on the ground and when someone approached, he'd just run this way or that.... he wasn't flying away.
And so they came to our stall for help. It was around 0842 and folks from down the way in the Market had seen the little guy and were concerned and, unbeknownst to me, they had marked that the Audubon Society had a booth there today and so....they came to us to see what we could do about it.
Hahaha, and I laugh in a good, positive way and not in my usual snarky, what a silly situation way, that they noted we were there and didn't hesitate to bring this possible injured animal to our attention.
All I can say is, thank heavens Tom was there. I quickly deferred to his greater expertise (I punted the ball in his direction and quickly got out of the way) and let him go down and investigate.
Somehow they worked the bird back up near to where I was in the Audubon stall. Someone was trying to catch the bird by tossing a cloth over him on the ground. The little guy was stubbornly staying on the ground, too. He was a quick little devil and had some great moves...Hmmmmm, maybe the Seattle Seahawks should watch how he sheds the tacklers.
Anyway, when they started tossing huge pieces of cloth in his direction, he decided he'd had enough nonsense and took to the air...flying about 30-40 feet away. He never gained any altitude, but he did grab some distance between him and his tormenters. Tom sagely declared that, by golly, he could fly and let's leave him alone to forage and that was that.
On a side note, I was over in the Food Court a couple hours later, just perusing the offerings. (And lamenting the unpleasant fact that the bakery decided not to show today. Although, on reflection, that might have been a good thing saving me a lot of money. I am weak when it comes to tasty and warm gluten products!!) I swear it was the same bird, still on the ground, and busily eating up the this and that the diners had dropped on the ground.
You find the niche where you can be successful at life and then you exploit it. Well done, tiny bird.
After the Bird Excitement, things settled down and the finishing touches were placed on the stalls in anticipation of the arrival of the first shoppers and the opening of the Market. Speaking of, the Market is officially open from 0900 to 1500. Doesn't seem like a long time but, let me tell you in no uncertain terms, when you're sitting there in a light sweatshirt wishing you'd dressed a little more warmly, it is a long, long time. Yessiree, Bob!!
It also amazes me as to how quickly this small tent village can assemble. It simply appears within the space of an hour out of nothing and then, POW!! you have a smoothly functioning Market offering a wide range of goods.
Amazing!!
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Tom was tightening up the operation with some well-placed and well-tied final additions.
Next to our stall was a very pleasant young lady, Paris, and her mother, Indigo, who were selling their jewelry and glass. She's quite an artist and creates glass art and floats as well as making unique pieces of jewelry. She was really nice and even came over and helped Carol and I put up the shelter. Hahaha, it's a simple thing but first time out I was hesitant to push or pull too hard for fear of breaking it. She, obviously, is an old pro at those kinds of things and had it popped open and put up in a flash.
Whew, after all that excitement Tom and I thought a bit of coffee would hit the spot. Neither of us were sure that the girls would bring back some hot liquids to take the chill off this cool morning air and so I lit out across the street to the new Dutch Brothers Coffee Shack to grab two Morning Joes.
Hahaha, shows how small and shallow my mind is, they have a girl there who comes out and takes the order from the cars in line. She has a small electronic device to tap in the order on and then she takes the money. She came up to the folks standing in line to order and got what we wanted and then we gave her the money.
My first thought, after I'd given her the money was, "How do we know that she wasn't just pretending to take our order and make-believe tapping the screen of her iPhone and after she got enough money she was gonna take off!!" I know, I know...small, petty and stupid. But, unfortunately, that's the way my mind works.
Hahahaha, I am a not overly-bright person.
While I was waiting and pondering this weighty question, I looked back over to the market. It was now 0852 (don'tcha just love this new technology!?! I mean, anytime I want to check the time something happened, I just pull up iPhoto and click the info button and, viola!! there's all the information about that particular picture. Ain't modern life grand!?!) and the Market was ready to open for business.
And there's our little tent, the second blue one from the right. You can just make out Tom in his blue and white striped shirt putting the final touches on the displays as he waits for his coffee.
And by the time I got back these two had shown up again. Carol decidedly warmer. You can see the poster just to the left of the table there. Oh, and the tables, the tablecloth and the shelter all belong to the Willoughby's, Tom and Caren.
Then the nice lady, Paris, from the next booth offered to get a picture of all four of us. Who could resist?
As you can see from her card, she is quite busy.
It's the early morning light, folks, and not a case of mass sunburn that accounts for our rosy glows. I gotta tell you, I remind myself of some malevolent Santa the way I'm leering in these pictures.
Note to self: Lighten up with the grins, Jackie-Boy!!
And now it's time for some random shots of the Famous Farmers Market of Lincoln City. Every Sunday from 0900 to 1500. Outdoors until the end of October and then it goes indoors until the next March.
Plenty of goods to entice you with in addition to the fresh fruit and frozen pork and beef products.
I have a much greater appreciation for the effort that goes into setting up these booths. A much greater appreciation.
And there is always time to meet new friends. You can just make out Carol admiring a woman's two dogs there in front of our booth.
OK, we're ready!!
A while after it opened, El Presidente, Jack, stopped by around 1045 to see how it was going. And he even got this picture as we manned the booth. Once again, a little too much on the creepy side with that grin, Smilin' Jack.
And I got this picture at 1115. I'd taken a picture of the same area earlier because of the warm morning sun. You can see what a difference a couple hours and a huge change in the direction of the sun makes. The first picture was much warmer and friendlier than this one. And that's why, boys and girls, when you're shooting you always want to shoot, if you can, during the Golden Hours. Those hours just after the sun rises and just before it sets for the day.
You're welcome.
And we had a successful day. I don't know how many, if any, new members we'll get. But we got our name out there and we learned several new things today...
1) Most folks that visit this Market are from out of town. Lots of Canadians, several Brits and even one couple from Australia.
2) A lot of the folks I talked with are already members!! At least 10+ souls claimed membership already.
3) A sizable number of the folks that talked with us today had an interesting bird-related story to tell us. We were treated to a large number of interesting experiences.
4) Everyone we spoke with had heard of the Audubon Society. They all knew something of it. And all had a positive opinion of the Society.
5) If you smile and make a witty comment while offering someone a brochure or pamphlet, then nine times out of ten they will take it with good grace and equally good intentions. What they do with it ten minutes later is a matter for another blog, however.
But, the important thing is that we handed out over 50+ pamphlets and that means over 50+ possibilities...folks that will think about the Audubon Society and, at the very least, be more open to it in the future. Oh, and we even sold two totes!! Woo, woo!!
I did a lot of standing around today which is good for me. I am way too sedentary in my daily life. I got to meet a lot of people and even learned a few new things.
This one had a good time, too. She even got to try a new Mexican Burrito that was made with fresh beans and not that kind out of a can. And she got to meet a lot of new people today, too.
Just a while ago, Carol took a Bird Drawing class with this woman, Nora Sherwood. She ran into her in the Cultural Center and....
...ended up getting a print, Une impression emmeles pret a monter, of one of her favorite birds, a female Belted Kingfisher.
So it was a good day. I think the whole thing worked and we accomplished our mission. We may not get a new member today, but we did get the Audubon Brand out there and got some folks to think about us and that is always a good thing.
Next time, I will have some of the Oregon Coast Today papers with us to point out where they can get info about the bird walks. I also think a calendar of up-coming events to hand out would be very useful. Plus, we need to find a better way to feature those totes. I saw a lot of folks struggling to keep their fruit from breaking out of the plastic bags. Oh, and more brochures, of course.
It was fun and it was productive; we got to meet lots of new people. And it was tiring. Hahaha, I am getting soooooo old!!
We had a good time today and we reaffirmed something we already knew....
Life is good.
Hooah!!
Post Script: Because of the title to today's essay, I thought I'd post the first part of the classic "Surfin' Bird", a song performed by the Surf Rock Band, The Trashmen. Released in 1963, it reached No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 100. It was a combination of two R&B hits by The Rivingtons: "Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow" and "The Bird's the Word", which was, in turn influenced by Red Prysock's "What's the word? Thunderbird!"
It's not only inspirational, but it is a great example of the high quality of song writing that went on during the early 60s.
Sit back and enjoy the creative and languorous lyrics of this timeless classic:
A-well-a, everybody's heard about the bird
Bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, the bird is the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, well, the bird is the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, well, the bird is the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, bird, well, the bird is the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a, don't you know about the bird
Well, everybody knows that the bird is the word
A-well-a, bird, bird, b-bird's the word
A-well-a
The Rivingtons had followed up their '62 hit, 'Papa-Oom-Mow-Mow' with the similar 'The Bird's the Word' in '63. The Trashmen had not heard this version but saw a band called The Sorensen Brothers playing it. They decided to play the song that night at their own gig. During this first performance, drummer and vocalist Steve Wahner stopped playing and ad-libbed the "Surfin' Bird" middle section.
A local disc jockey, Bill Diehl, was at the gig and convinced the band to record the track. It was recorded at Kay Bank Studios in Minneapolis. Diehl entered it into a local battle of the bands competition and it won. It was then sent to a battle of the bands competition in Chicago where it also won. This led to the group being signed to Garrett Records with the single quickly released. It reportedly sold 30,000 copies in its first weekend before going on to national success.
Those were some crazy times back then.
No comments:
Post a Comment