Our Community Place

Let Me Count The Ways….
By Grace (“Gracie”) Schrock-Hurst

There is a well-known poem by Elizabeth Browning in which she asks the infamous question, “How do I love thee?” and begins to count the ways.   In reflecting on this past Saturday, I think it is only appropriate to attempt a similar declaration of my appreciation for the event we called the 2008 OCP Summer Lawn Jam. 

I love the subversive-ness of the Redistribution of the Wealth Yard Sale.  In a day and age when millions of Americans live in inordinate affluence, it is extremely refreshing to see people giving away some of what they do not need.  Donate what you do not want.  Take what you need.  The Yard Sale has a festival atmosphere to it, with families sorting through clothes, volunteers re-folding and organizing, and a homemade donation bucket sitting on a small table.  The smile on a Hispanic man’s face is priceless as he finds a handicap shower seat for his aging mother to use; this expensive item normally would be out of reach for him.  People’s faces show glimmers of disbelief as they realize there are no price tags- pay what you can.  The Yard Sale is a testimony that those in community can care for one another.

I love the creativity. Rosie set up at a table with face paints, offering to paint flowers, rainbows, or whatever one so desired on faces.  There is something wonderful about a seven year old with brush in hand flagging down visitors to put color on their faces.  By the middle of the day, there were splashes of art on countless faces and even arms.  Face painting, tie-dying t-shirts, and beaded hemp jewelry all made it a very artistic day.  The colorful t-shirts hung over the cement wall, brightening up the ugly concrete barrier to Roses’ parking lot. There are as many different combinations of colors and tie-dye designs as there are people. 

I love the people who come. Young, old, rich with US currency or mostly not, students, teachers, musicians, volleyball  and hardcore horseshoe players, folks with homemade clothes or those with designer labels, some with dreadlocks and others with straightened hair, whites, blacks, Hispanics, you name it.  The Harrisonburg Community.

I love that we all work because it’s free.  Volunteers stood behind the information booth all day, selling raffle tickets and handing out brochures.  Others faithfully chopped vegetables in the new kitchen for hours or washed dishes in the three sink method.  People from JMU,  EMU, PVMC, and other acronyms came to serve food, invent games to entertain kids, maintain order at the Yard Sale, or carry tables and set up tents.   Those who showed up just to hang out often helped with needed tasks.  We work because it’s free.

I love the dance of the kitchen.  Some people stir-fry vegetables, while others develop an assembly line of pizza bagels.  Junior pulls turkey off of bones, while Irene slices apples and oranges for a healthy snack.  Imagine this small kitchen (roughly 20 by 15) producing enough food for hundreds of people!  Hot pads that do not work well are quickly used to pull out large trays and lifted high to avoid hitting innocent bystanders.  It is like a dance, everyone learning what their task is and then completing it joyfully while organized chaos ensues all around them. 

I love the rain which did not spoil the party.  Contrary to forecasts, it did not rain until very late in the day.  It was a warm, sunny morning and afternoon and only in the early evening did the storm clouds brew and the wind pick up with intense force.  When the blankets of rain started pouring down, the party did not end.  Musicians entertained the crowds of people packing into the OCP.  People stood around, some dripping wet from rescuing items from the rain.  Folks in the kitchen hurriedly cooked dinner and then served it Soup Kitchen style.  It truly was a good time.

I love how fun the day was! Volleyball and horseshoe tournaments, adults and kids playing musical chairs, water balloon toss, the slowest bike race ever, music all day, raffle drawings and the auction, and delicious food…  Smiles were widespread all day.

I love the fish, signed by Ron and given away as prizes.

I love the OCP Lawn Jam. It is an event that will not soon be forgotten by those who attended.  Inviting the community to come out and have a good time without requiring money is a dangerously counter-cultural thing to do.  The Lawn Jam was truly beautiful, in countless ways.