The Dave L_______ Lounge

Two weekends ago, was the Folk Music Festival here. It was bittersweet to participate, mostly sweet. There were tears, lots of hugs, a few laughs, story sharing and some great music. I have seen some of the Folk Fest folks during Dave’s illness, some at his Celebration of Life and others not since last year. Dave had been a volunteer for many, many years. I spent some time there with him for the last 5 years. The FF staff - god love 'em - sent me a complimentary pass to be down at the island with back stage access for the weekend. Dave had been an institution there; a positive force that will be missed for years to come. It was a beautiful weekend – sunny and warm both physically and emotionally.

The love for Dave was palpable there. Dave was a volunteer for the FF for 22 years. The last 12 or so were in the Green Room (Artist's Lounge) as the Coordinator. So Saturday at the fest, the green room was turned into the “Dave _______ Lounge” in honour of Dave. Dave liked to sport Hawaiian shirts to serve beer and oversee staff. He liked to make the work there fun, so volunteers wore Hawaiian shirts as well. I took down a photo board of FF pics of Dave and the crews. It was bittersweet. He was a well-loved man. There was a light sprinkling of tears all over the grounds as I ran into people/volunteers who were missing his presence. I spent the majority of my time there visiting and reminiscing. I was not uncomfortable to be ‘alone’ as I did not feel alone, I felt supported and supportive and I felt loved and loving. It was wonderful.

Music, what music?! Although it was a very social time there, I did see a few acts that were awesome – The Swell Season, Michael Franti, Corb Lund, Ian Tyson, and Geoff Muldaur. Oh yea, and I got lei'd in the Beer Gardens! LOL

I could feel Dave's presence everwhere. He was in the corner of my eye all weekend. He was in the music, the smiles, the tears, the memories, the laughs and the fun. He permeated the whole setting.

It was very touching to see and be with others missing him; to remember him as the fun-filled, fun-loving man that he was; and to see the ripple effect of his time in our world. It was a lovely experience of community. It was such a beautiful honoring of a good man who contributed to his community. I was honored and humbled.