Art, education, Fantasy, Gatherings, Kids, Music, Uncategorized

Front Yard Serenade

22 Comments

My nextdoor neighbor, Brian, is a school music teach and band director.  The last time he saw his “kids” was when they said good bye for spring break.  Then schools began to close, so they have had online classes but as you can imagine, band class isn’t quite the same and since Brian is changing schools this fall, he felt a little bad about not seeing them again.

The kids apparently felt badly as well because on Monday, the brass section, along with a drummer, showed up in the front yard and serenaded him for about 15 minutes.  It was a big surprise to Brian; the kids had set it up with his wife, Sarah.  By the end of the performance, quite an audience has gathered, on both sides of Lyndale. 

I know that other entertainments and festivities are happening in people’s front yards.  A young friend of mine had a drive-by college graduation and Tuey, a juggler that I like, has also been doing his show on front sidewalks during shelter-in-place.

I think this is a great way to celebrate even while social distancing.

What front yard entertainment would you like?

22 thoughts on “Front Yard Serenade”

  1. Rise and Cope with the Social Separation, Baboons,

    I would love a juggler or a Renaissance Troupe in my front yard. This morning Lou will host a distant men’s group in our driveway. They will bring their own chairs to sit 6 feet apart and Lou will provide coffee. It is a pretty staid group, so I would not count on entertainment to the outside world, but they will love getting together.

    Our neighbors have an antique fire truck (1946). They have been taking it around our neighborhood, and other neighborhoods and giving rides to one family group at a time. They even play the siren for little kids. It has been a hit.

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  2. (I may have told this before…)
    Several weeks ago now, an 8th grader who lives next block over set up her mic and amp in her front yard, and sang with her guitar for a good 45 minutes to whoever was out and about. At one point we counted maybe 30 people, a few of whom we know as neighbors. People driving by pulled over and rolled down their windows, others brought out lawn chairs or sat on their porches, or on the curb. Some of us sang along to the songs we knew (by Dylan, John Prine, Joan Baez…) Warmed our hearts.

    I think I’d like to watch a mime perform in the front yard – you wouldn’t have to hook up music… And I love watching people do t’ai chi or chi kung – it’s a little like watching ballet. Outside on the lawn would be great – in fact, I hear there’s a group doing this in one of our parks weekday mornings, but haven’t got there yet.

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    1. Just this past weekend, a friend of mine who lives in South Minneapolis had hired Tuey to perform on the sidewalk in front of their home in celebration of her husband’s 60th birthday. Needles to say, kids of all ages from all over the neighborhood were delighted.

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  3. That’s some pretty nice stuff there. Jugglers are fun!

    Barn Swallows are some of our favorite birds. With Kelly home working from the office and the windows open now, we’ve got several barn swallows right around that corner of the house. They chirp and call and perch on the sides of the windows. We know they started a nest at the top of one window in the same place they’ve had it other years. Yeah, they’re kind of messy, but it sure is nice watching them.
    Looks like maybe they’re starting some other nests from as much as they’re sitting on lights or the wind chimes, but haven’t seen the mud yet. Maybe they’re just talking.

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    1. We have grackles and very noisy baby grackles in our front spruce trees, as well as thrushes. The grackles are noisy. The thrushes are gorgeous. I am waiting for the warbling vireos to show up. They have really beautiful songs.

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  4. I have a hunch that we’re all focused on something entirely different than front yard entertainment at the moment. Here’s what I’d like to see: something uplifting, something empowering, something to chase away the feeling that we’re fighting a losing battle.

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      1. And after reflection, PJ might be referring to our continued isolation and all its baggage with the pandemic, and/or to the horrific killing yesterday in Mpls. of a black man by a white police officer. (Thought I’d insert this for anyone out of state who might not know about it.)

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        1. I was specifically referring to the killing of a black man and the ensuing protest and turmoil in South Minneapolis last night. An extremely grave situation on top of the pandemic issue which also seems to be moving into high gear. I have been reading about this in the NYT and Washington Post, and considering that the baboons are all consumers of Public Radio and TV, I was assuming they’ve all heard about it, but maybe I’m wrong about that? Honestly, I can’t think of a time in my life when I’ve been more disheartened and less hopeful.

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        2. After the demonstrations last night and the police response, it all feels so volatile. That on top of the pandemic is creating some misery, to be certain. I am just heartsick about this happening here again.

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  5. I don’t know who entertains whom in our front yard, but we and the two next door neighbor children, ages 5 and 7, probably entertain one another. They are intensely curious about our gardens, and we answer their unending questions about what we are doing, and they show us their new flip flops and teeball bats. They help sprinkle the fertilizer and we find the fattest nightcrawlers for them to show their mother. I point out the mushrooms that pop up briefly after it rains. It is all very fun.

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  8. I am entertained by the sprouting spinach, potatoes, chard, peas, and shallots in our front yard. The peppers, cabbages, and tomatoes have overcome their initial shock from transplanting and are starting to look busy and erect. Beans, parsley, and kohlrabi are yet to germinate.

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