Delaware Water Gap Jazz Festival
Delaware Water Gap, PA
2nd Weekend in September
This festival is the longest running Jazz Festival in the USA that is managed by all volunteers. My good friend, Rick Chamberlain, was one of the original organizers of this monumental event. I've gone a few times with Darcy, his wife. On the opening night, we start by going to the Deer Head Inn, the epicenter of the festival. Jazz musicians, from all over the east coast, stop in and jam with each others for long, long improv sessions. The crowd love these moments.
I'm pretty good at listening to a musical piece for 5 or 6 minutes, but then my interest wanes just a bit. By 10 minutes, all of my interests in the piece are gone and I now start a conversation with Darcy. I believe I am whispering. She tries to silence me but the beer I have consumed trumps my good manners. Eventually, Darcy joins my conversation and whispers loudly to me. Then someone shushes us and we laugh so hard, we have to leave the bar and go out to the porch and try, unsuccessfully, to compose ourselves.
And each year, as we start out the evening, we remind ourselves of last year's bad behavior and vow to behave this night. But we don't. Maybe some year, we will behave but so far, that hasn't happened.
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