Occasionally, I get a nice annual gig that pays well, too. Today was my Brunch with Santa at Brookside C.C. It’s two sessions, or sittings, as they say; the first at 9 am, and the second at 12:30 pm. Intergenerational families, all dressed up, come into the ballroom, have a great buffet, check in with Santa, and socialize. I’m there for the kids (and families in general) so I set up my small PA, and start playing holiday music and my kids stuff. I lay out my bag o’ instruments, scarves, sun glasses, etc. and start to play. That’s right, play. And the kids come up and we interact. And I really enjoy the great one-on-one exercises with the kids in the course of two hours. It gets personal and that’s the whole point in what I try to do.
The kids are usually spiffed up, with the boys in bow ties and red sweaters, and the girls with their finest dresses, shoes and lots and lots of sparkles. Since there’s grandparents along with the parents, siblings and new toddlers, lots of pictures are taken for the ages to come, great interaction between the generations, and a very personable and reality-based arts scene. And I have the best seat in the house.
The Country Club does the event right, across the board (as one would expect), with the food, Santa, carriage rides, ice cream sundries, great wait staff, and, of course, ME, but their attention to ‘family’ stands out in my mind. As I chatted with a member, it’s not all golf and cocktails for these folks, and I appreciate their including me in their tradition, and to treat me (and its not just the $$) like a guest artist.
Good folks all around. Tomorrow, the Sun Inn in Bethlehem for a 10 minute set for Godfrey’s and the Chamber…. for free, of course. Back to the economy I’m more familiar with.