What to do the next time you or a friend comes up with one of those "Hey, wouldn't it be a great idea if. . ." Try following through on it. With the help of friends, you just might be pleasantly surprised.

One night this past June, I was with some friends in the Adirondacks and we were talking about how so many of the folks in nursing homes (predominantly women) miss taking care of a garden. I remember how my mother, who's now in the Adirondack Tri-County Health Center, felt when a doctor told her she shouldn't be bending over tending a garden any more.

"Hey, wouldn't it be great," someone said, "if there were raised beds that you could get wheelchairs under? Then they could plant, weed, poke in the dirt, and have their own flowers and tomatoes."

Well, after two months of planning and help from some friends, Dan Duggan and I gave a benefit concert at the Adirondack Tri-County home to fund such a gardening project. And it's just the beginning. Volunteer offers have been streaming in.

Thanks to some wonderful friends, especially Debby Starling, the folks at Tri-County, and the audience that came to North Creek on a drizzly August 15th evening.
A NOTE ON THE FREE FOR ALL:

It's a free show at the Fredonia Opera House Sept. 21 at 3 p.m. The program is part of the Folk in Fredonia series and features about a dozen performers.

In addition to featuring the Newton Street Irregulars, Dave Sturtevant and Kelly Armor (who will be doing the November 1st show in the Folk in Fredonia Series) will be there to do a couple of numbers, as well as Kindred, a husband and wife duet (voice, guitar & cello) from Buffalo who'll be doing the March 14th show.

A special surprise: two faculty from the Fredonia School of Music, Julie Newell and Susan Royal, are planning to join us for a song or two. And there may well be other surprise performers as well!

OTHER GOOD STUFF: Happy Anniversary to Sagamore Historic Great Camp - 100 years, the Adirondack Mountain Club - 75 years, and the Adirondack Museum - 40 years ...

Coming soon - the "not oppressively formal" Newton Street Irregulars' first CD/cassette: UNCLOUDY DAZE. (You'll be seeing plenty more about that here soon) ...

Trivia question: where do these four folky neighbors -- Dan Berggren, Dick & Carmen Gilman, and Steve Warner -- live? Answer: All live on the odd-numbered side of Newton Street, Fredonia.