At Buckley Nursing Home they specialize in events to interest the residents. A recent bout of flu curtailed most of the activities which the Ladies at Lunch really missed. Fortunately people seem to be getting well, are able to socialize again and the Ladies are happy with the return of entertainment.
Buckley’s building superintendent is Drew Paton, a singer and guitar player who used to hang out in the same musical circles that Chris Smither did, back in the day. Drew even credits Chris for improving his performance when Chris one day saw Drew playing in a club in Cambridge and after the show, slid three fingerpicks across the table saying, “These’ll help get your sound out better.” While waiting to do a WinklePicker radio interview with Chris a few weeks ago, I mentioned to him that I knew Drew and Chris got excited. Hadn’t seen him in over a decade but remembered him and was happy at the prospect of re-visiting at Chris’ WinklePicker concert, which they did.
Drew gigs around Franklin County these days, and one of the shows he does is a 1940s Radio Show where he uses an old-fashioned-styled microphone, wears period clothing and sings songs of the era in front of a backdrop of a large screen projecting images from the 30s and 40s. He peppers his show with commercials from those days and the whole evening is enchanting.
He stages his show for the residents at Buckley from time to time. I saw it there and because I rarely just Be Here Now, I watched it thinking about all of the people in Ashfield who would like this show; people who might not get out much because they’re older, tireder and Buckwheat Zydeco just isn’t what brings them out of their homes anymore. It’s a wonderful show for anyone who likes the music and remembers those days, so we’re bringing Drew and his 1940s Radio Hour to Ashfield.
Saturday night, March 10th we’ll feature Drew Paton’s 1940s Radio Show at Elmer’s. We’ll do our usual format – 5:00 dinner and the show will begin at 7pm. Mary’s going to make her perfect Velvety Chicken Stew with Biscuits and people old enough to remember World War II will get a discount on the dinner and the show – $5 for dinner, $5 for the show. When told of this offer and discount, Bob Parati (my dad) said, “Hot dog! We’re finally getting recognized!”
Younger whippersnappers will have to pay the working man’s price of $9 for dinner and $10 for the show.
It’s a perfect night out to visit with people who remember what you do, if you remember the 1930s and 40s. I remember my great-grandfather complaining at age 99 that he found people boring anymore, because none of them wanted to talk about the things he wanted to talk about. So if you’re bored because all anyone around you wants to talk about are things that happened too recently, then come and spend the evening with your peers. Everyone is welcome, and we look forward to finding more such events to feature here in town.
Call us for reservations at 628-4003 so we’ll know how much food to make and how many to set up the room for. Maybe you’ll make new friends. Maybe you’ll just be able to enjoy the music and sights of the good old days. Either way, we look forward to seeing you whether you’re an Original or if you’re just a whippersnapper in age, but a zoot-suit-wearing Jitterbugger at heart!