FUTURE PUBLIC EVENTS The Future of Public Events at No. 3 Railroad Street Mary's Email The following is adapted from an email sent to the mailing list by Mary on May 14, 2020 Hey, Everybody! Where do I begin? Same as you... I'll begin at home where all is quiet and I am healthy and enjoying the most beautiful Spring in memory. I can't deny that I'm a bit lonely, but it is a small price to pay for a more probable future. I hope this email finds all of you healthy and adapting to this unpredicted life style. Needless to say, nothing at #3 is as was planned or which has evolved over the last few years without much active planning. Currently, all concerts have been cancelled and all other public events are on hold. Now I am left to muse about the future...whenever that may be. The vision I had when I bought and began rehabilitation of this space in 2012 was that of a community center; a place available for all members of our community to use in any way that would be of use and service. To an extent, we have done that. We have housed an extensive collection of books for sale by Friends of the Oglethorpe County Library with Trina hosting a monthly book sale. We have hosted sales of crafts and arts by local artists. We have provided a place for bridal and baby showers, birthday parties, funeral dinners, even weddings. We've offered classes in watercolors, acrylics, yoga, song writing, and briefly (til the virus hit) the dulcimer! Even a reading club had a promising future. We've hosted the occasional community meeting and politicians wanting to share their messages with the public. We've had Alon's Club #3 Restaurant followed by his bakery, which although both wonderful were not sustainable due to licensing requirements for more land than we had. We've hosted Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners for the community. We've had jam sessions, open mics, karaoke, and most prominently and memorably, a long list of incredible performances by amazing local musicians as well as those from Nashville, New York, Austin, and more. And, through it all, we have eaten! When Alon's Club #3 could no longer operate, we began potlucks! So much wonderful food, shared with everyone who came through the door. No questions asked. Everyone ate, and the musicians made the money. Not exactly a sustainable business model, but we all had fun. So, what do we do now? I don't foresee potlucks in the near future. Nor do I see crowds jostling around to get a good seat to watch the musicians. Book sales are on hold. Even private parties are discouraged. So... WHAT SHALL WE DO?? Short answer: WE'RE WORKING ON IT We have installed internet with outdoor access to WiFi. If you would like to use this, please email or call me for the password. Please share this information with anyone you know who may not have internet service in the home. This is for the public. Our LITTLE LIBRARY BOX is available to those who need a book to read. If possible, bring one to exchange... but don't worry if you have nothing to leave. Enjoy your read! With thanks to Bonnie Ash, we now have a LITTLE PANTRY on the front porch. Please leave what you can, take what you need. (Don't leave huge amounts of anything...) So, this is a start. WHAT ELSE CAN YOU SUGGEST? As the weather warms and the second wave of illnesses declines, we'll look forward to reopening for concerts....though I doubt pot lucks will be in the near future. Perhaps bringing your own picnic will be a reasonable trade off. Perhaps outdoor concerts would meet social distancing guidelines should they still be required. Perhaps there are other things we could do. I would honestly love to hear ideas from some of you. My creative side is a bit strained lately! Perhaps some of you would be interested in hosting your own events, setting up your own parameters, doing the whole thing on a given day. I would love to sit back and enjoy someone else's production! Call me (706.340.1073) or email me (marynouri@bellsouth.net) with any suggestions you might have. Oh, my! So sorry to have gone on so long... but Foxy thanks you for giving her a break! Two months now of no one to listen to me but her! Poor little doggie, Ya'll stay well. I look forward to seeing you sometime soon. back to top Responses and Conclusions We hope to have lots of responses that will be featured here back to top Modified 21 May 2020 by Glenn Galau   |   Web Design by Glenn Galau