Choosing joy

Joy.

That was the word that came to mind last Thursday night as I sat in the warm, light rain in the Medford city park enjoying the music that was the soundtrack of my youth.

The event was the annual Park Fest Celebration put on by the Medford Area Chamber of Commerce with the help and support of sponsors from the business community. After a run of country musicians in the past few years, this year’s Park Fest went in a completely different direction. The Glam Band played in the Tombstone Pizza Bandshell and brought out the power ballads, guitar riffs and overthe- top makeup and costumes from the 1980s. The crowd was largely made up of those of us whose formative years were spent listening to the music. Mullet wigs, cut-off shorts and beer brand t-shirts were much in evidence among those in the crowd who leaned into the 80s theme and joined in the fun.

Festivals and events such as Park Fest are like spider’s silk. Each strand is thin and nearly invisible, but when built up layer upon layer forms a strong web that binds the community together.

There is joy in shared experiences. There is joy in celebration for the sake of celebration. There is joy in a community coming together to have a good time.

There was joy in the Medford city park last Thursday night.

As the misty evening descended, the music cascaded over the crowd and across the Millpond and into the entire community, it connected all who heard it.

A glance to the east showed the glowing lights of the Flag Field and Memorial Wall, another important living symbol of community unity and pride.

From the seating area in the parking lot, looking up the hill toward where concessions were being sold in the shelters, there were crowds there, enjoying the music and joining in the celebrations. About 2,500 other music fans came out for the event.

The unsettled weather was the major contributing factor to fewer coming out than in past years. This is to be expected. The organizers did the best they could borrowing tents and shelters to protect people from the weather.

Considering the forecast had called for storms, the light rain was a welcome alternative to having the fun cut short.

A friend of mine who watched the show with me said that his take away was despite it being a week night and rainy, both the band and the crowd were filled with joy.

Park Fest, like Ice Age Days, the Chair Affair and the Chelsea Fall Festival all have a bittersweet tinge to them. These August celebrations mark the beginning of the end of the summer season.

While there are still community outdoor events planned into September, the tenor of those actives change from a celebration of the summer and of endless days of youth, to being more reflective of the change in season. Within a few short weeks the lush green leaves of summer will make way for the multi-colored spread of autumn’s splendor and then onto the stark beauty of winter in Wisconsin.

Last week’s Park Fest party was a celebration of youth and remembered youth. It thumbed its proverbial nose at the coming fall season with its cold nights and shortened days as if to say that in this time and in this place summer would reign, no matter how wet and muddy that summer may be.

There was joy in Medford last Thursday night, and while the style of music may not have been to everyone’s taste, there was no discounting the fun people had and the memories they made and shared together.

There are many things that divide us as communities and as individuals. Park Fest and events like it overcome those artificial divides and work to bring us all together. They are a reminder that, at heart, we share more in common than we have differences.

It is reminder that when we have to choose, we should choose joy.

Brian Wilson is News Editor at The Star News. Contact Brian at BrianWilson@centralwinews.com.