When Hanna and I first talked about it, there was no outdoor stage at 11 West Main Street, here in Bradford, New Hampshire, otherwise known as the Sweet Beet Cultural Center. At least that’s how I think of it. It’s not called that yet.
And so Pierre built me a stage up against the woods. It’s still there, three years later.
And when Hanna and I attempted our first fundraiser for the Sweet Beet—now a cluster of entrepreneurial ventures housed in the old inn, a rebirth of a time when our little town was a destination for horse and buggy tourists, but which inn has now been gloriously renovated by the Two Mikes (Mike Bauer and Mike James)—I said, “Well, if we can get around 150 people to show up at ten bucks a head, all the money is yours. Consider it my in-kind donation.”
That was Halloween 2017. Lo and behold, we had 150 crazy Bradford souls and other crazies from other towns show up, bundled in winter hats, gloves and blankets, eating chili, and generally settling in to hear the local storyteller tell some tales with guitars, alto recorder and harp.
Other than adding a mysterious new horror tale to this upcoming evening’s entertainment, I’ll be reprising my show of two years ago on Pierre’s stage this Oct. 25th at 7:30 pm. Please bear in mind that as a musician, performing outside in the cold is a challenge. Cold slows the fingers. However, it quickens the mind.
The Storm Breeder, a New England ghost legend. 12-string guitar.
The Panther Boys, a tale of lycanthropy from Confucian China. Alto recorder.
Treasure Trove, a deeply unsettling story from Old Russia. 12-string guitar.
And the new story, which shall remain as cloaked as a ghost. This will be its debut.
You’ve never heard it, because I’ve never told it.
Bundle up. BYOB. Hot food for sale. Braziers will be burning.