Sal is Taken Out to the Ball Game, Meets Rubber Ducks and Squirrels, and Celebrates Prince George's Birthday!

Last Tuesday night was really something!  For several weeks, a small band of dedicated Cleveland Jumping Fleas had been preparing to play Take Me Out to the Ball Game at an Akron Rubber Ducks game.  Each of us committed to memorizing the song.  We practiced together at each of our regular Flea playalongs.  I can't speak for everyone, but I know that I played Take Me Out to the Ball Game hundreds of times in an attempt to embed it in my brain.  I figured that even if I knew it pretty well, I might blank out in front of an audience of thousands, so I wanted playing the song to be almost automatic. 

The Fleas and their friends and family members arrived at Canal Park -- home of the Akron Rubber Ducks -- and found that the evening was being billed as a celebration of Prince George's 1st birthday.  Since I am an admirer of cute little Prince George, I enjoyed the Brit-centric silliness.

There were paper crowns on the heads of many of the Canal Park staff -- and a few staffers were arrayed in more elaborate costumes.  The first one we saw was this Beefeater.  Unlike the real guards in England, this young man was permitted to smile, talk, and pose for photos.

It was waaaaay too hot to stand in the boiling sun in this garb, but this guy did it with British can-do spirit -- even if he didn't keep a stiff upper lip!

Some of the Fleas were enjoying stadium fare - hot dogs, popcorn, etc., but I was too nervous to eat.   I did, however, partake of a cup of fresh-squeezed lemonade.  Love it!

Who could resist fresh squeezed lemonade?  Not me!  Thanks, guys, for the refreshing beverage!

While arranging our appearance at the game with Christina, the Rubber Ducks' Director of Promotions, I had been instructed to go to Guest Services when arriving at the park.  With a couple of trusty companions I did so, and was happy to see Emily (read this post if you want to know who Emily is), who said to come back a little later for more direction.  When we returned, these two gentlemen were at the desk.  They were friendly and helpful, and told us to bring the whole group to Guest Services closer to the 7th inning stretch and we would be led to the performance space.

These very helpful guys at the Guest Services desk were not thrown by the arrival of a gang of Hawaiian-shirt-wearing ukulele players.  They handled the situation with aplomb.

Meanwhile, on the field of play, the Rubber Ducks were battling the Richmond Flying Squirrels.  Since the Ducks were in second place in their division, and the Squirrels were in first place, I figured the game would be a close one, but alas for the Rubber Ducks, that was not the case.  Nobody scored for a long time, and then the Squirrels got three runs in the third inning and three more in the fourth inning.  The Ducks got nuttin'.  (unavoidable squirrel pun) 

Finally the time for us to play our song was drawing near, so the Fleas proceeded to Guest Services and stood around for a while waiting to be directed.  (Of course we showed up too early because we didn't want to be too late!)  As we waited, I came to an obvious conclusion:  Christina is a busy and energetic lady!  She was going hither and thither all evening conducting contests, leading the crowd as they danced to YMCA, etc.  I would have been dragging big-time after a couple of innings, but she seemed to have boundless enthusiasm.  Wow.

Eventually we were led to our performance space and had a chance to practice a couple of times.  Then we were on!  I'm not sure how to describe the experience of playing in front of over 4000 people, while simultaneously seeing oneself on a giant scoreboard and hearing all the people singing along.  Let's just say it was a bit out of this world.  In just a minute it was over and we congratulated ourselves on a song well played.  Celebration!  Relief!

The Fleas post-performance, with Christina of the Rubber Ducks (holding Sal).  Thanks to her for making it possible for us to play at Canal Park!

Oops!  One of our group members missed getting into the previous picture! The other shot is more flattering of most of us, but the post wouldn't be complete without a picture including Emily Ann.

To record this event for posterity, my wonderful sister came to the game to videotape us on the big scoreboard.  Her husband, Dave, very graciously edited the video and uploaded it to YouTube.  Check out this fun video!

And here is a cool cellphone video of our performance.

Final Scores:
Squirrels - 8
Rubber Ducks - 2
Fleas - 1,000  ;)

It's crazy when I realize how many hours of planning and preparation went into a one-minute performance, but it was well worth it.  What a good time!  Hope we can do it again next year!

Sal Will Be Posting Soon About... Baseball, James Taylor, Romeo and Juliet, and Arlo Guthrie

Yes, Sal and I have been gallivanting again!  Four cool events in less than one week!  Posts will be coming soon....!

Sal Goes to JOA's Picnic in the Park

Yesterday some of the Cleveland Jumping Fleas played and sang at the 7th Annual JOA Picnic in the Park.  The picnic is a benefit for John Owen's Adventure.  I hope everyone will click on the link and read about the organization and its purpose. 

The picnic was taking place at German Central in Parma.  As Sal and I made our way thither, the weather was extremely variable.  Some parts of the trip were dry, others were drizzly, and there were times when the rain was pouring down.  This was not an auspicious preview to an hour of playing outside with no shelter. 

As we arrived at German Central, it was drizzling, and then the precipitation stopped.  We got all our stuff from our cars and prepared to play.  The first song went just fine.  As we began our second song, a few drops began falling.  By the end of that song, it was much more than a few drops!  After some discussion, we ended up playing the rest of our set under the overhang of a nearby shed. 

Some people smiled and seemed to enjoy our music.  Others walked by without paying any attention.  They were on their way to raffles and beer and pizza and a myriad of other delights!  A camera guy from a Cleveland TV station filmed a bit of our rendition of This Land is Your Land, and a reporter from the local paper talked with a few of the Fleas.  It will be interesting to find out if we ended up getting a second or two on the news and/or will receive a mention in the paper.  Overall it was a fun experience -- even though it was decidedly damp! 

Wonder if they'll invite us back next year?  Hope so!

Sal with the gang before the rain began.

Instructed to do something silly by Nick, our guest photographer, we didn't have much trouble complying.

A damp Sal, with the similarly damp Fleas in the background.  We did most of our playing under this narrow overhang.  The lighting in this picture was really bad, so I cropped it and used some iPhoto effects.  I think I actually like it now.

BLOGPALOOZA: THE FINAL POST! Sal Goes to Another Ukulele Singalong!

I am so glad to be wrapping up BLOGPALOOZA!  Sal and I have several things going on in the next few days, but I'm going to try hard not to get so far behind again.  Can't take the stress!  ;)

On Tuesday, July 8th, the performing group of the Cleveland Jumping Fleas did a Ukulele Singalong at Middleburg Heights Library.  I brought Sal along, but didn't get a shot of her.  We were all so busy before the show (getting the room set up and doing a bit of last-minute practice) and after the show (taking things down and chatting with adoring fans), that I neglected to photograph poor Sal.

As for the show... The audience was great!  There were 79 people there, and most were singing along and having lots of fun.  (A couple of preteens were obviously forced to come, but other than that, the fun seemed pretty universal.)  We received many favorable comments afterwards, so were feeling pretty good.  After the weeks of practice, and the nervousness some of us suffer when performances draw near, it was a huge relief to be finished with what turned out to be a pretty darned good show!

To celebrate our awesomeness, a bunch of us went to Perkins afterwards.  We talked about how the show went and about possibilities for the future.  I decided to take a Sal photo at the restaurant, but had left my camera in the car.  At this point in the evening, I didn't have enough energy to go out and get it, so I took a photo with my phone instead.

From left to right:  Nicole, Bruce, Holly, Emily Ann and Sal, Jeff, Lisa.

Can't end a show without credits, so thanks go to...
Jeff - Musical Director (as well as uke player, singer, and harmonica soloist)
Bruce, Nicole, Holly, Lisa, Thomas, Terrianne, me - Uke players, singers, and soloists on banjolele, train whistle, and kazoo
Emily Ann - Guest Performer
Anne - PowerPoint Slide Changer
Sal - Morale Booster

BLOGPALOOZA: PART SEVEN! Sal and Sophia Go Into Advertising!

Wow!  Almost finished with BLOGPALOOZA!

This will be the cutest post in the series!  :)

Over the July 4th weekend I visited the lovely Miss Sophia.  (I visited with her parents, too, but I'm sure everybody can understand why the baby was the biggest draw!)  Readers of the most recent Travels with Sal post already know that I recently purchased an Akron Rubber Ducks onesie.  The plan was to take a picture of Sophia in this outfit to promote the appearance of the Cleveland Jumping Fleas at the Akron Rubber Ducks game on Tuesday, July 22nd.  We will be playing Take Me Out to the Ball Game during the seventh inning stretch.  Sal will be at the game, too, so she posed with Sophia for these super-cute photos. 

I put Sophia and Sal on the quilt and took lots of pictures.  Of course there was a bunch of grandmotherly silliness going on behind the camera to get Sophia smiling and interacting with Sal. 

Who could resist the combination of the world's cutest baby and Cleveland's cutest uke?

BLOGPALOOZA: PART SIX! Sal Gets Tickets for the Akron Rubber Ducks Game

An exciting event will soon be upon us!  A bunch of Cleveland Jumping Fleas will be entertaining literally thousands of people as we play and sing Take Me Out to the Ball Game at an Akron Rubber Ducks game.

Backstory time!  Last year I went to a baseball game at Canal Park -- the home of the Akron Aeros -- who are now called the Rubber Ducks.  (Check out this post if you'd like to read about that game.)  During the seventh inning stretch a family was projected on the giant scoreboard as they sang Take Me Out the Ball Game.   Of course I immediately decided that this would be a great thing for the Fleas to do.

When spring rolled around again, the idea was proposed and people seemed to like it.  Extensive intra-Flea-mailing and contacting of the Rubber Ducks staff ensued.  We began practicing and memorizing the song. 

After collecting money from our fellow Fleas, Sal and I drove to Akron to pay for and bring the tickets home to distribute among the performers and their families and friends.  As we arrived at the ball park, a game was about to start.  It was a colorful sight, as the street was full of buses loaded with kids from daycamps, etc.  Each group was wearing bright matching shirts.  Quite a festive atmosphere!

I had spent lots of phone time (and played much phone tag) with two very nice ladies from the Rubber Ducks:  Christina, Director of Promotions, who arranged for us to play, and Jenna, ticket lady extraordinaire, who got us our group tickets.  Both were great to work with.

My plan had been to buy a Rubber Ducks cap at the Team Shop when I went to get the tickets, but, because a game was about to start, the shop was closed.  I am grateful to Jenna for getting me in so I could buy my hat.  I also purchased an Akron Rubber Ducks onesie for Sophia.  This was an item a grandma couldn't resist.  See the next Travels with Sal post for a photo of the little sweetie wearing it!

Jenna with Sal, Emily masterfully juggling multiple phone calls, and another helpful Ducks staffer.

BLOGPALOOZA: PART FIVE! Sal Goes Out in the Rain to See Hey Mavis!

There is light at the end of the BLOGPALOOZA tunnel!  Yay!

Last November my sister and I had tickets for a show in the Cuyahoga Valley National Park.  It was to be a dual performance by Eddie Caner -- a member of the band Hey Mavis -- and a cellist.  I had heard good things about Hey Mavis, so I figured this would be an excellent birthday outing for Anne and I.  (We both have November birthdays.)  Then Mother Nature decided to play a nasty trick on us.  Extremely bad weather, including ridiculously high winds and horrendous amounts of precipitation, caused us to cancel our evening out.  (To be fair, I was game to go anyway, but my sister is more cautious about driving in severe weather -- and her wiser mind prevailed.)    

Fast forward a few months to the release of the Cain Park summer concert schedule. There was Hey Mavis!  And the tickets were only $2.00 each, as it was a Two Buck Tuesday show!  Of course I asked Anne if she would like to go -- and also asked my friends in the Cleveland Jumping Fleas.  The final group was to be Anne, Nicole, Nicole's roommate, Sal, and me.

Ironically, the weather forecast for the day of the concert was decidedly poor -- or should I say pour!?  Because that is what it did!  In the afternoon the deluge began.  I began to wonder if the concert would be cancelled, as there was heavy rain and a lot of wind, and Cain Park is an outdoor venue.  After a while the weather improved, so after work I set off to meet my companions at Tommy's for a pre-show dinner.

Unfortunately, I ran into a traffic nightmare.  Here is a portion of the Cleveland.com article about the accident that added 45 minutes to my drive across town:  "Traffic is backed up on westbound Interstate 480 ... A United Parcel Service truck banged off the center wall of the highway, then hit another vehicle... Multiple reports say packages were knocked out of the UPS double-trailer and are all over the interstate. The collisions caused a light pole to fall onto the highway, adding to the traffic mess."  Happily, I was able to call Anne from the car (while stopped) and she ordered for me after I got past the snarl.  Everyone's food was delivered about two minutes after I arrived at Tommy's -- and it was delicious!

The weather had been clement when we entered the restaurant, but it was extremely inclement when we exited and headed for our cars.  Rain was pouring down again, but most of our party had been smart enough to bring umbrellas.   There was only one who had neglected to do so.  Me, of course.  Anne tried to share her umbrella with me, but not very successfully. 

After a short drive we found parking spots and rushed to the pavilion.  We were soaked, but the show was well worth the minor discomfort!  Hey Mavis played some awesome music!  For obvious reasons, the audience was small --  but the music-lovers who braved the awful weather were very enthusiastic -- and the band was appreciative of the fans who came out on such a stormy night. 

It was very cool to sit under the roof and listen to wonderful music while the rain poured all around us.  Thunder and lightening added their sound and visuals to the experience.  A fantastic night -- even though it took days for the shoes I had been wearing to completely dry out! 

We made it under the roof where it was nice and dry, but it was too late.  We were all pretty damp.  Check out how hard it's raining outside the pavilion!

Hey Mavis bravely playing through the storm.  They were awesome!

Sal hanging out with Hey Mavis's Brent Kirby and a lovely young lady.

Sal with Eddie Caner and Laurie Michelle Caner.  Amazing musicians!

BLOGPALOOZA: PART FOUR! Sal's Other Super-Busy Day, Part Three: "Move On!" at Near West Theatre

For many years I've been attending Near West Theatre shows and loving them!  My dear friend Avril has two daughters who often appear in plays at Near West, which is why I started going.  These talented young ladies -- and the rest of the Near West cast -- have entertained and inspired me many times.  Since I began Travels with Sal last year, I've been bringing my little uke along.  (For those who enjoy a bit of nostalgia, here are Sal's previous posts about Near West Shows:  Jacques Brel is Alive and Well and Living in Paris and Side Show.)

While the shows at Near West have been wonderful, the facility where they took place was not so hot.  Actually, it was very hot!  It was sometimes unbearably hot!  And the seats were uncomfortable.  And the long downstairs and upstairs and vice-versa trip back and forth to the tiny leaky ladies' room was good exercise, but far from what the ADA would recommend.

The show Sal and I attended on June 27th was, therefore, a bittersweet experience.  Titled Move On, it was the last Near West show to take place in the old hall.  Near West is building a new facility to house its fabulous entertainments -- and all of the great work they do to prepare for them.  Move On was entertaining and touching. I loved every minute of it!  Thanks, Near West, for all the great memories!  (And thanks, Avril, for introducing me to Near West!)

Looking forward to seeing lots of plays in Near West's beautiful new home -- but also feeling nostalgic for the old creaky place...

The cast of Move On singing a song that brought tears to my eyes...

From left to right:  Patricia, a fellow Near West fan, and Sal with Maggie (one of my two favorite cast members).

From left to right:  Avril, Sal with Mary (my other favorite cast member), and Peet.

Sal with Julianne -- always a wonderful addition to any Near West show!

BLOGPALOOZA: PART THREE! Another Super-Busy Day, Part Two: Ukulele Workshop with Victoria Vox

It's time for BLOGPALOOZA: PART THREE!  Just a few more hastily-written posts, and we'll be all caught up!

Sal and I were very excited when we found out that Victoria Vox  would be coming to Marrell Music to do a ukulele workship and house concert on June 27th.  Victoria is an extremely entertaining singer/songwriter/ukulele player!  She did a house concert at Marrell Music last year -- and it was a great time!   (If you're interested, you can read about it in this post.) 

This year Victoria would be doing a workshop in addition to her concert.  We would be learning to play her song, Technicolor Way.  It sounded like a great time... and then I realized that Sal and I were already committed for the evening, so would not be able to attend the concert.  :(  But I was happy to find out that the workshop was perfectly timed so we could squeeze it in between the daytime trip to the Butler Institute (see yesterday's post) and the evening's previously-planned event (to be described in the next post).  :)

I listened to Technicolor Way on CD, in hopes that I would be semi-ready to tackle it.  The strum pattern of the song is quite complicated, but Victoria rolled it out step-by-step so that many in the group were able to catch on.  I was able to do some of it, but as a world-class klutz, there were parts I couldn't do.  My hope was that I would practice it very slowly at home, and soon be strumming like a champ.   Unfortunately, due to time issues (I don't have any), I have not practiced and have, therefore, forgotten what I learned.  Happily, one of my Flea friends has been practicing, and seems to have the pattern down pretty well, so I will be asking her to show it to me again. 

When the workshop was over, I quickly bugged everyone to pose for the photo below, and then rushed off to my next engagement.  Why is it that there are times when a person wants to go out and do something, but there is nothing to do -- and other times there is a plethora of great options!?  My friends who stayed for the concert said it was wonderful, and I'm sure that is true.  Hoping that Victoria returns to the area soon!

Victoria and Sal posing with a bunch of happy Cleveland Jumping Fleas!

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BLOGPALOOZA: PART TWO! Sal Has Another Super-Busy Day, Part One: The Butler Institute of American Art

Here is BLOGPALOOZA, Part Two -- an attempt to catch up with Sal's recent activities!  She has so much fun it's hard to keep up with her!

My friend Heidi, the guru of all things pop culture, told me that there was a Maurice Sendak exhibit at the Butler Institute of American Art in Youngstown.  Trying to find a date we were both free was a challenge, but we finally settled on Friday, June 27th.  Heidi also wanted to see another exhibit at the museum -- Kim Novak: Pastel Paintings.  Two celebrity exhibits at the same time.  Cool.

I took some pictures at the Sendak exhibit, but because of the challenges involved in posing Sal with a small drawing or painting high on a wall, the results were meh. 

We walked around the rest of the museum, and saw many cool things, some of which are pictured below.  You won't see the museum's most famous paintings, though, because Sal and I went to the Butler last year and I took photos of those works at that time.  If you are interested in more of what the museum has to offer, here's last July's Butler post. 

This is so cool!  The next photo explains what's going on in the painting.

Neat, right!?

I know it was naughty, but the frame around this painting was plenty wide and flat for Sal to sit on.  There's a ukulele!  And a record player!  How could I resist!?

A room full of carousel horses -- and decorative objects from carousels.  I did not try to pose Sal on one of the saddles -- even though I really wanted to! 

I had to take a picture of this painting because of the hidden ukulele shape within.  Do you see it?  The painting is called Seer, and it was painted in 1947 by Adolph Gottleib.

Raenell, Heidi, and Sal posing with an incredibly life-like sculpture of a security guard -- punnily named Seated Security Guard #2 (Art).

Eventually we ended up in the room containing the Kim Novak exhibit.  I'm not going to say what I thought of her work.  I will let it speak for itself. 

Heidi and Sal with Kim Novak's painting about the film Vertigo.

Read this, and then look at the painting below...

I solved the problem of getting Sal into a photo of a painting by standing in such a way that she is reflected in the glass of the painting.  Of course you can see me, too, but the point is that Sal is in the photo.

Our museum day ended in the gift shop.  I purchased a copy of Maurice Sendak's wonderful Pierre.  I read Pierre to my kids many times when they were young, and am looking forward to reading it to the darling Sophia.  The shop had lots of other Sendak stuff, too -- magnets, shirts, and the oh-so-tempting jigsaw puzzle pictured below.

Because of time pressures, I have given up doing jigsaw puzzle and hosting jigsaw puzzle nights at my house.  I actually gave away most of the puzzles I had purchased -- keeping just a couple of favorites to maybe do someday.  When I saw this Where the Wild Things Are puzzle, I came every close to caving, but something held me back -- the realization that I have NO TIME to do this puzzle!!!

BLOGPALOOZA, PART ONE! Sal Sees Incredible Fiddlers: Natalie MacMaster, Donnell Leahy, & Kids

On June 22nd, a friend and I went to Cain Park to see The Masters of Fiddle at Cain Park.  Ordinarily I would have spent a few days writing and rewriting, and then posted about the evening.  Obviously this didn't happen.   Unfortunately -- or fortunately, depending on how you look at it -- Sal and I have been so busy that I didn't have time to write!  I'm planning to knock off all the posts that are in the pipeline in the next two days so we can start from scratch.  The posts will be short and lacking detail -- but they will be finished!  (It is possible that some of Sal's readers will be grateful for the brevity...)  I will be calling this series of posts BLOGPALOOZA!

On to the concert!  It was a beautiful night -- perfect weather for an outdoor musical experience.  And the show was incredible!  Amazing music.  We loved every minute of it! The Masters of Fiddle are Natalie MacMaster and her husband Donnell Leahy -- both absolutely mind-blowing fiddlers.  What a fabulous night! 

We arrived early enough to check out the merch table before the show.  This very friendly guy assisted us in deciding what to buy.

While wandering about with Sal in hand, I came across these two ushers.  The lady plays the uke herself, so I gave her a Cleveland Jumping Flea card to entice her to come to a playalong sometime.

Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy have six children.  Here are two of them showing that they have inherited their parents' fiddling talents.  Seeing them play confirmed my view that it was time to put my violin back in the closet.  I'm sure that even if I practiced for years, I couldn't play as well as those two little kids already do!

Here are four of the kids demonstrating that they are following in their parents dancing footsteps.  Amazing!

I was very glad to say hi to these incredible performers and get their picture with Sal!