Update: Happy Trails Coming Next Week/How Do You Take Your Jazz?

Hello Friends and Happy Labor Day Friday. It appears to have all the makings of a fantastic end-of-summer weekend. So, get out and go places, see friends and enjoy!  

Long Weekend Fridays

Friday before a long weekend is always a great day, but I’ve been told there is one exception.

Years ago, before I met my husband, I spent a lot of my free time with a very fun, albeit broke, undergrad at the College of the Holy Cross. To keep me accustomed to the lifestyle I hoped to become accustomed to, he decided to get a job selling cars. He showed so much promise — besides a 3.7 GPA — that the dealership sent him out-of-state to a seminar on selling cars. He came back brimming with all these tidbits about cars and sales. The only one that stuck in my memory, though, is that when considering the purchase of an automobile, ALWAYS ask the dealer the date that the car came down the assembly line.

If that date is a Friday before a long weekend, especially Memorial or Labor days, don’t buy the car. Pass. Statistically, these cars are your lemons, because who wants to work on the Friday before a holiday. The workers tend to call in sick, take a vacation day, or are so eager for the long weekend ahead that they may let a little something slide, like the transmission or the brakes, and voilà, you have your lemon. I have always thought it is nice to glean a little something from each relationship in your life. This is what I took away from that one, and it has served me well.

So, if you heed my advice and don’t rush off to buy a car that is date-stamped today, you will be well on your way to a great holiday weekend. Me? I’m off to NYC for a weekend of shopping and eating — my kind of a great weekend.

Local Weekend Music

You don’t have to head off to the Big Apple, though, to enjoy the nightlife this weekend. There’s plenty for you and your family to do right here in Concord.

The Forge Village Tavern at the can fill every night for you with live music. I’ve stopped by there several times myself. The room is small, lined with dark knotty pine paneling, filled with antiques, and the music sounds great in there. Couple that with a few selections from the appetizing menu and a fine time is guaranteed.

So, how do you like your jazz, southern or vintage? At the tavern tonight, Sept. 2, Henri Smith and the Workingman's Jazz Band will perform New Orleans jazz, rhythm & blues. Check out the video I attached here. Tomorrow, Sept. 3, Toni Lynn Washington and the Workingman’s Band will perform vintage jazz, soul & blues. And Sunday night, check out the up-and-coming stars, or set the stage to become one yourself, at the Acoustic Open Mic, hosted by Ken Selcer. There is no charge to listen to the music. Performers go on stage at 8 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and at 7 p.m. on Sunday.

If you prefer to listen to live music during the day, head on over to the Old Manse for another free concert this Sunday, Sept. 4, from 2-4 p.m. It’s a beautiful setting for music. Bring a lawn chair or blanket, sit back and enjoy. Bring the whole family. The Old Manse is located at 269 Monument St., walking distance to the North Bridge.

Whatever your plans, I wish you all have a wonderful, and certainly safe, Labor Day weekend.

Irene Damages Hiking Trail

If you decide to go hiking on our local trails this weekend, be advised that a portion of the Battle Road Trail, from the Captain William Smith House to the Hanscom Drive tunnel, is closed due to storm damage. Most likely, it will be reopened by Sept. 14, which is barely a week away. So be patient and you’ll be back out there in no time.

College Here and There

My best to all you students who have been heading off to college these few weeks past and to come, and my heartiest congratulations to the parents, who managed to survive the ordeal and are now returning from those distant campuses, where they have left their child to further their education.

Do you have something to share? Contact me at mcb23@comcast.net or Stefanie at stefanieac@comcast.net, and we will be happy to help you share the good news.