See you in September? An artist's plea to extend the summer fun into the fall
What if all that summer excitement spilled over into the fall?
Summer in Newfoundland and Labrador: so fun, so short, and so full.
I work in the performing arts and for me, summer is my full-time work bonanza.
Summer is always when I have no time off, when I bank my hours, and when I put money in the bank.
It's also when lots of fall gigs fall into place and when many applications are due and auditions are held.
Summer is when I really see how much I can get done professionally.
Of course, it's also when everyone wants to hang out, go swimming, drink all night and then watch the sun come up on Signal Hill.
It's when everyone outside the province comes for a visit.
Even writing this, my phone keeps dinging with people calling to make plans.
Friends, partiers and visitors, I have a proposition for you: let's take all this fun into the fall.
Drinking until 3 a.m.? LOL
OK, it's partially a selfish request... basically, I'm begging you.
So far this summer, seven friends have come home for a visit. I managed to see three of them — briefly.
Imagine my friends' disappointment when they book a trip here, expecting to be screeched in seven nights a week and do nothing but drink Blue Star and smoke weed.
But when they actually get here, I've gotta learn lines and practise my songs. (If anyone wants to hire me for a seven-night screech-in where we do nothing but drink Blue Star and smoke weed, please contact me — in September.)
And I have a hard enough time getting people to believe me when I'm a performer and say, "I've got to work."
It's not just about me. It's about you! It's about all of us. It's about tourism!
Let's celebrate fall
Fall is an underappreciated time here. September is still summer and you can swim outside well into the month.
October is stunning for hikes and other outdoor adventures.
All the history, art, personality and whatever else people come here for (Pineapple Crush!) is still widely available outside of the summer months.
Maybe other people who live here feel the same way? I know restaurants, hotels and bars benefit from the summer boom. Imagine if that boom was a bit more spread out, and customers still came outside the summer months.
And think of how much calmer we'd be if summer activity stretched into fall.
No more running around in July and August trying to swim, drink, take a boat tour, plant some veggies and throw a deck party all in one day, knowing we've only got two months.
If Jimmy Kimmel can be mayor of Dildo, maybe I can stretch summer in Newfoundland and Labrador to include the fall so we can have at least a little bit more time to enjoy our beautiful province.
Now if only there was something I could do about our miserable spring.
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