Full Moon Flash Party and Bulldog Madness

Whoever described living in a small town as sleepy didn't live here.

It's not that we can't find anything to do, it's that most of the time we can't figure out how to do it all.

Our neighbors are named David and Sally. Honest. And we are all into cooking. I think more than once there has been a mix up over whether something was happening at David and Sally's or David and Sally's. But Thursday neighbors David and Sally were involved in a Pig Pickin and Oyster Roast at a club near our neighborhood. So we were enlisted to bring the big cooker out to help cook some ribs and q. This all happened pretty fast and I started calling it a Flash Party. Kind of like the Flash Mob songs and dances that spring up out of nowhere.

When neighbor David does anything he does it full tilt. Before we could blink our eyes he had a really nice fire pit built to roast the oysters and a whole pig. He called a local band named Calm and Collective to come play without even knowing that my nephew, Jackson, is their keyboard and saxophone player. Calm and Collective is a group of very talented musicians who play what I think they call fusion reggae. It's reggae with a sax. If that won't make you want to groove, nothing will.

So Wednesday night we were getting excited about the Thursday flash party when we realized Bulldog Madness was also Thursday night. Bulldog Madness is an opening night party and pep rally for the Gardner Webb men's and women's basketball teams. It is all for fun and there are crazy games and dance offs and short scrimmages. We didn't want to miss it so we had to get our roller skates on.

Thursday was a very full day that started with David loading up the cooker with meat and heading off to work. His work days are always full of variety and this one was no exception. Among other things, it included a quick trip to Spartanburg for business combined with a quick lunch with David IV.

I started out with work at the Round Up. I needed to do what Jethro called ciphering. Sometimes I cipher about as good as Jethro did. Daddy wanted an update which he expresses as "where do we stand at the store?". Giving a report on finances always makes me think of the NC Trucking Association meetings. The long, detailed financial report would be written out, but when the treasurer stood to present it he would always say "We took some in. We spent some. And we've got a little bit left". Everybody loved how this shortened what could be a long, dry recitation of numbers. For some reason, it doesn't work quite that way at the Round Up Store. Usually Daddy already knows where we stand long before I cipher.

But once the ciphering was done Daddy and I went to lunch. At Wendy's of course. We sat at the sunny window side and talked about everything from politics to poker. Alice T was there with her father Jim and she said it must be father daughter day at Wendy's. I'm not sure who enjoyed this more - the fathers or the daughters.

Later in the day, David took the big cooker with the meat still cooking up to the fire pit where the flash party would break out. Then we left for Bulldog Madness where we enjoyed seeing all the cute students and being a part of the fun. They turned off the lights in the gym and with a spotlight on a balloon arch, loud music and red LED pom poms flashing all over the arena the 2010-2011 GWU Basketball team was introduced. All of the players, coaches and students were having fun and we are looking forward to what adventures await as Jay experiences being a part of this young Division I team.

Then we headed back to the Flash Party. Like any true Oyster and Pig Roast this party was outside in some of the most perfect fall night weather ever. Oh yeah, and there was also a clear sky with a full moon. I leaned over to neighbor David and said, "With a beautiful sky like that - no need to worry about more decorations." Neighbor David said with a twinkle in his eye, "Someone else was in charge of that decoration."

A lot of folks came out for the flash party at the firepit under the full moon. And to groove to reggae with a sax.

It's a small town but it's anything but sleepy around here.