Truck, trucks and more trucks, and of course the annual Holiday Showcase of Stars, with some reading and listening to boot

Posted By: David Fortier December 3, 2023

By David Fortier

Come Sunday morning, Mary and I will have celebrated the 2-year-old grandchild’s birthday on Saturday afternoon and then attended the 18th annual Holiday Showcase of Stars at St. Paul Catholic High School. Both events have, for their stars, kids–although the adults do fine at all of these celebrations.

At the 2-year old’s party a gaggle of adults constructed the big toy, a construction site, in record time, so that the 2-year-old could run dump trucks and payloaders, backhoes and steam rollers, down ramps and over bridges, a little bit of heaven for his little heart.

The adults in the Showcase of Stars excelled, Maria Scalise, Christina Micari, Allen Stone and Silvio Dagastino. And the kids, especially the younger ones, say, ages 4-7, of course, steal the show–not because they are veteran performers hitting their marks. It is precisely because they aren’t hitting any marks and are just being themselves, swaying to the music, pulling aside fellow performers–most likely a sibling–for a hug.

And when it gets past their bedtimes, yawning and rubbing their eyes–and bouncing back. Terrific.

Kudos to Deb Schur and her dedicated crew, who year after year put on a wonderful show, and raise funds for some local schools.

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Thinking about local community variety shows and performances, I did a quick search and came across this website, curated by Ken Ferris, which provides video footage of Bristol Boys and Girls Club OM Shows. Click here.

These shows are a wonderful proving ground, or petri dish (to mix metaphors), where a community gets to watch its members, young and old, develop and display their skills in a live performance venue. We are pretty lucky here in Bristol, especially with all the opportunities available to students, with the three high schools and their arts programs–and now with the Bristol Arts and Innovation Magnet School.

In this these times of social media, live shows may play second fiddle to the small screens. Granted, social media has its place. There is no denying this, but there is no better place than on a stage to develop talent. Heads up–John Beardsley, a Bristol native, is bringing his Elvis show mid-month to The Rockwell. The response has been so wonderful that a matinee has been added to accommodate all the people who are interested.

And while Beardsley has been able to make a career with his talent, performance doesn’t have to lead to a career. Live performance, in itself, develops a person and adds to community. These performances, when experienced together, give us all something to and someone to focus on for a moment–and often to feel good about.

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Reading and listening this week begins with a Capitalism Isn’t podcast, “How Big Law Firms Shape Capitalism, with David Enrich.” Enrich is an award-winning investigative journalist, whose recent book is “Servants of the Damned: Giant Law Firms, Donald Trump, and the Corruption of Justice.”

The conversation is informative, at least for me, in that the author makes a distinction between legal defense of corporations versus that of individuals, but also because it provides a history of how law firms once comported themselves. Click here.

New Haven pizza has been all the rage lately, beginning with a Connecticut magazine feature on the best pizza in the state earlier. The New Yorker features “The Lasting Pleasures of New Haven Pizza” by Hannah Goldfield, picking up where the Connecticut magazine piece left off, asking whether or not New Haven pizza can be replicated elsewhere?

Of course, there are wars raging. This week I received a link to the daily “Democracy Now” news program. To add to your knowledge of what is happening in the Middle East, especially, and ties to U.S. policy et, al,, this is one you might want to add to your list of news resources. Click here.

“Come Sunday morning” is intended to be a weekly review, a recounting of the past week and an anticipation of week to come. Among its features will be reviews of old and new books, sharing of favorite podcasts, some family news, Bristol events and happenings and issues surrounding education, work and community journalism. He can be reached at dfortier@bristoledition.org. 

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