I arrived about 45 minutes before the Tate Street Festival kicked off last Saturday. I surveyed the Tate Street merchants and quickly found the base of operations, The Lager Haus.
The interior was crisp and clean with sandy looking painted walls and lots of wood. Almost immediately, I was drawn to the bar. Wanda and I sat down and had some discussions about the Festival and our personal lives.
When Wanda left me with my “homework” notes, it felt like it was time for a beer. Sure, it was before noon, but I didn’t care. Unfortunately, the Lager Haus wasn’t officially open even though we just walked right in. No beer for Eugene.
I studied up on the bands from the article in the ‘Yes Weekly’ magazine. Then I went outside to take in some of the sights and smells.
Rachel Peterson showed up and we went over a few things and hit the stage for the first announcements. After we introduced Swamp Boat (www.swampboatmusic.com), we headed straight for our base of operations.
The bar was open for business and Laura poured me a Scott’s Honest Ale. Rachel wasn’t drinking. She stuck with H2O.
As I was taking in my liquid form of breakfast, a face from my past suddenly appeared in front of me… Juliet.
I hope that she’ll forgive me; I have forgotten her current last name. When I knew her, she was Juliet Brown. I met her when she was working at Rock 92 with my girlfriend at the time. That was almost 20 years ago. Good Lord, that feels like a really long time when I say it or write it down. And the last time that I saw her was when she paid a visit to Rock 92 when Van Halen was in town. Or was it Fleetwood Mac… My memory is a little fuzzy. Not as sharp as it was 20 years ago… huh?
Turns out that Juliet’s boyfriend, Todd, is the owner of Lager Haus, a place that I plan on frequenting a lot. And by looking at the menu, the place isn’t just about beer and micro brews. The food looks just as inviting as the beer taps.
I just think that it’s weird sometimes where people pop up in your life from time to time.
Rachel and I talked over the beer and H2O until it was time again to make announcements between bands. Swamp Boat was playing a bluegrass version of ‘For What It’s Worth’… To bring it back to some of you, the lyrics are… “It’s time we stop children… What’s that sound?… Everyone listen to what’s going ‘round”.
If you go to free musical events in Greensboro, then you will know whom I’m about to write about…
A bearded bohemian dude took off his shirt and started dancing to the song. He was providing an interpretation of the lyrics through dance. And as he danced and rolled around on the asphalt, I put his movements into words for Rachel. I got the sensation that he was describing the agony of the Vietnam veterans, the effects of Agent Orange, and how he feels about U.S. Foreign policies.
Then as Mr. Bohemian laid face down and still on the street before us all, I felt as if he was giving us his interpretation of the Nixon administration. Then, just like that, he got all Patty Hearst and was out of there. We didn’t see him the rest of the day.
Again, it’s strange how folks pop in and out of your life.
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