This Saturday, September 26th, join Better Said Than Done as we kick off Autumn with a return to our classic themed shows! First up is the seasonally appropriate theme – Schooled! Tickets are available now!
There will be tales of learning, tests, and making the grade. Our fearless leader Jessica Robinson is your host for the night, with Nick Baskerville running the tech side of things. She’s joined by storytellers Norm Brecke, Chetter Galloway, Jenn Kamara, Bil Lepp, Anne Rutherford, Laura Simms, and Ed Stivender.
If you’ve ever been to one of our shows, you know that the host has each teller answer a question related to that show’s theme, and reads their answer by way of introduction. I decided to copy from a friend, and quiz the storytellers myself.
What’s something that happened before the start of the school year that you remember fondly?
Here are a few reminiscences from some of our tellers.
Norm Brecke: We had a semi-tradition in our family (meaning we “usually”) went camping in late August at what I now call Politically Incorrect State Park (name changed here to protect all those involved) here in Oregon. It was a great campground right on the Rogue River. There was a beach and lots of trails. Sometimes my grandparents would come and tell me stories of the past history of Politically Incorrect State Park. Highlights! Why yes there were highlights. The performance of my overly dramatic sister after she stepped on a bee, the first time I swam across the river to “the rock,” telling ghost stories around the campfire, being warmed by bees at chicken cookout, and paddling rubber kayaks down the river. Nobody died! Oh, what halcyon days those were.
Chetter Galloway: “School always started after Labor Day and on that day my father would always have a huge BBQ for us. He was a brick mason by trade, so he built a BBQ pit into our patio where we would entertain family and friends. The highlight of the evening was playing Spades. He and I used to be partners and wreak havoc on opposing players! It was always a great deal of fun :)”
Jenn Kamara: “Leading up to the start of high school, I remember collecting paper bags. The start of the new year meant new books that needed to be covered. Rather than pay for pricey book covers, I’d collect brown paper bags to cover all of my textbooks. I also remember clothes shopping during that tax free week prior to the start of classes. Before I was working, my mom would take me to buy my first day of school outfit in addition to a few others. Once I got home, I’d try on everything, decide the mix of outfits that I’d wear for the week and I’d lay out that first day of school outfit so that I was ready in the morning.”
Jessica Robinson: “About 2 weeks before my then 3 year old started pre-school, we took him in for a visit with his future teacher and class mates. You ‘drop him off’ for an hour to see if he can make it without mommy and daddy. A lot of kids cry or miss their mom and dad the whole time. Some kids never want to go back. When we picked him up he said, ‘no, mom, the day’s not over yet.’ I said, ‘I know. That was just a visit.’ He said, ‘when do I go back?’ And he asked that question every day for the next two weeks. ‘When can I go back to my new school?’ When we finally took him for his first day, he walked in like he owned the place. When we picked him up, he was on a first name basis with the whole staff!”
Anne Rutherford: “I went to a Catholic High School where the girls wore uniforms, so the only wardrobe item we could choose were our shoes. I loved buying my pair of school shoes for the year. A particular highlight was my sophomore year, 1977, where I proudly sported a pair of tan suede Earth Shoes, with the reverse balance sole that had your toes higher than your heels for better alignment with the planet. Ah, those were the days.”
Ed Stivender: “’69th Street’ was the shopping district in the Philadelphia suburb called Upper Darby, the town where I grew up. Going there before school started was a great treat. At Edward’s Shoe store we could see an x-ray of our feet through the fluoroscope viewer; at Tiny Town we could take the slide down to the basement floor; at Adams Men’s Store I would be outfitted with my school uniform; sometimes ending with lunch at the Western Room of Sun Ray Drugs, and maybe a bakery treat to take home from Hanscom’s. My birthday being August 30th meant that I would have good new school supplies to take on the first day the following week.”
Laura Simms: “I attended New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn. It was in an Italian neighborhood with candy stores or groceries on every corner. It was illegal to leave the school building. But I was the homeroom shopper. In an act of daily skillful deception, I slipped out to purchase candy and sodas for everyone. By year two I escalated to reading novels every other day at Coney Island. I was outed when I returned to school wet – caught in a rainstorm. I failed every subject I missed that year.”
Bil Lepp has been marked absent from this blog. He’s been absent 9 times! One more time and we’re going to have to call Principal Rooney.
Now that you know the pre school story, come join us for our Back-to-School night of storytelling! The show starts at 8:00 P.M. EDT, and ticket sales close a few minutes before showtime. Tickets are pay-what-you-can, with a suggested price of $15 and a minimum of $5 (plus a $1 handling fee). All proceeds are shared among the tellers and Better Said Than Done.
Beat the back-to-school rush and grab your tickets now!
