It happens every time. As the material for an edition of the newsletter accumulates, themes emerge. I use the term “accumulate” rather loosely. Believe me, the material does not accumulate as easily as does the dust on the dining room table! Much thought and labour goes into the feature articles from conception to completion. There are drafts and revisions; consultations and rewrites. There is follow-up (hounding) and research, and there are photos to scan and “doctor.” Happily, The Broadside has acquired two Contributing Editors, Sally Goddard and Rick West, to, well…contribute. The Broadside is happy to have more minds and senses, alert for story ideas and news, and more hands to do the work.

The themes that emerged as I worked on this edition are “passionate people” and “accordions.” You’ll discover passionate people throughout the newsletter, authors as well as subjects. And, accordions: evil, wonderful; cacophonous, melodious; simplistic, complex. Even though a certain witch about town has made her feelings on the subject clear, we saw her toying with the very thing that repels her.

At festival time, the last thing we want to hear is “The sky is falling! The sky is falling!” According to the Farmers Almanac, it’s a done deal this year. I’d like to refer you to a song called Rainmaker by Valdy. Set in early August in Kansas during a drought, the story tells how a rainmaker brought on the rain, but wasn’t paid for his efforts. (Listen carefully to the lyrics, and you’ll see that he never actually had a contract.) Regardless, as he hitched up his wagon and drove away, “the rainmaker’s eyes and the Kansas skies, they both became a darker gray,” and the people “knew the rain had come to stay.” When hope and technology failed to stop the downpour, the people were forced to come together and sing, “Rain, rain go away. Come again another day. Hey!” What could force us to come together and sing, I wonder? Do we need to be forced at all? You can listen to the song in its entirety at http://www.angelfire.com/music4/jdcr30/Valdy.htm.

Enjoy the festival. Enjoy life. Write for The Broadside.