When the Westport Arts Council decides to throw a party, it thinks big. On Saturday, July 8, the council invites the whole town to “Come Out and Play”, rain or shine, between 5 and 9 pm under a giant tent to be erected behind the Town Hall Annex on Main Road. Being an “all ages” party, there will be activities for children, music designed to entertain the whole family, and dancing for adults. Tickets are $5.00. Children 14 and under enter free but must be accompanied by an adult.
A Silent Auction between 5:00 and 7:30 pm, replete with everything from “bargains to treasures”, will be the most sedentary part of the evening. One part of the silent auction is the traditional sign-up variety. Auction veterans know the excitement peaks a few minutes before bid time runs out. Luck plays a far larger part in the other auction. Participants simply buy tickets, raffle style, and plunk them into the buckets representing the item they’re keen on winning. Carol Vidal and Betty Fitton head the auction committee and had assistance from Selena Howard and Ruth Bourns with soliciting auction items.
Like the other eleven events in the Westport Arts Council’s ambitious 2006 “Celebrate Westport in Central Village” series, “Come out and Play” is intended to mix good old-fashioned fun with events that highlight Westport’s culture and diversity.
As with many summer parties, “Bring your own” is the operative phrase. Participants are asked to bring their own chairs and blankets, but carting in their own food is optional. Food coordinators Selena Howard and Liz Collins say that food concessions will be open for those whose idea of a night out doesn’t include cooking food.
The fun begins at 5 pm. Children’s activities coordinator Betty Slade, assisted by Norma Sears and Dick Magovern, has a posse of volunteers, several of whom are experts in their meadow, managing a whole range of activities, including face painting, sack races, arts and crafts (tie-dye, for example), and games of four square, tic-tac-toss, outdoor checkers, and beyond hopscotch. Their deputies include Rhonda Plourde (music), Toby Dills (tie-dye, either bring your own shirt or buy one), Melissa Danforth (face painting), Dick Magovern himself (games) and several other volunteers who will handle prizes and manage the games in progress. “Chair massages” for kids will be provided by Linda Richter.
At 6:30 pm, singer/songwriter/story-teller deluxe Bill Harley, becomes the center of attention as he zeroes in on songs and stories that manage to tickle the funny bones of anyone who has been or is now a child. Over the past twenty years, the Seekonk native has acquired a national reputation for managing to figure out what makes kids laugh. Adults enjoy the universal and often humorous truths about childhood that Harley embeds in his stories and songs. It’s not often these days that parents and kids can sit together and laugh at the same stories but Mr. Harley has found the common ground and mines it with relish.
With twenty-five recordings of songs and stories and five children’s books to his credit, Harley knows how to navigate between wisdom and silliness. Plenty of people would agree. He’s been nominated for two Grammies and has earned accolades from Parent’s Choice, The American Library Association, and other national organizations. The Westport River Watershed Alliance arranged Harley’s participation. Tongue planted firmly in cheek, Harley claims the reason for his success - “I never grew up!”
Adults get a chance to kick up their heels at 8 pm when the Magnolia Cajun Band takes the stage. Although Cajun music has its roots in the southwest bayous between Louisiana and Texas, this band has a local brand of “south coast” flavor. Three of the seven performers, Christine Ash and Richie and Maggie Moniz (who grew up in a French speaking household), live right in Westport.
In the 1800s, many French Canadians immigrated to the United States and found work in the mills in southeast Massachusetts. Others made their way down south where they maintained their French culture and created a hybrid language known today as Cajun. The Magnolia Cajun Band may be singing in French, but the band's twin fiddles, accordion, guitar, bass, percussion and vocals will provide a universal language. No translations are necessary to waltz and two-step around the dance floor to their music.
Advance tickets are sold at Partners, Country Woolens, and Village Bicycle. To make reservations, call 508-636-2205.
By the time the party’s over at 9 pm, event co-chairs Liz Collins, Barbara Bates, and Selena Howard hope that a sizeable chunk of the town will have heeded the call to “Come Out and Play” and will be ready for a good night’s sleep.
Paul A. Tamburello, Jr.
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