After a lengthy hiatus due to COVID-19, we couldn’t wait to attend summer concerts again. Afterall, what is summer without them? Even though most venues reopened in 2021, last June we were still dipping our toes back into the social events pool. With the exception of a handful of restricted activities, our date book had been wide-open for far too long. We wanted to be around people again. We wanted to feel free from the constant worry. We just wanted to be able to breathe in the cool fresh summer air and exhale.
So, we decided to attend a pop-up performance in our town. Usually going to a concert requires planning. Date and time scheduling, securing tickets, inviting friends, buying food, and figuring out the transportation situation. Not this one. We made a picnic dinner from items found in our kitchen. Turkey and cheese sandwiches, homemade apple chips, an orange, and water. Simple. Robert may have snuck a couple of beers into the cooler, too.
Wearing jeans, tees, and sandals, we packed our goods and portable chairs into our car, then we drove 14 minutes to Thousand Oaks Community Park right off Moorpark Road, adjacent to T.O. High School. Parking was easy. School was out, freeing up plenty of spaces. Within a minute, we stepped foot onto the 35-acre expanse of green that offers BBQ grills, fitness stations, a gym, picnic tables, playground equipment, walking paths, and more to community members and visitors who want to enjoy them. All we had to do was pick a place to sit, and wait for the entertainment to begin.
Immediately after being introduced by the Thousand Oaks Arts Council, frontman, Leeav Sofer, and the band Mostly Kosher took the stage. Described as a klezmer gypsy-rock band that plays Judaic and American cultural music, and blends Jazz, Latin, Rock and Folk genres, I had no idea what to expect. But once the rest of the musicians, violinist Janice Markham, drummer Eric Hagstrom, Adam Levy on bass, accordionists Gee Rabe and Nigel Wilson, trombonist Bob Lawrence and Ben Tevik on clarinet and sax started up – what a blast it was! Wearing black rimmed glasses and a man bun, Sofer not only introduced each song, many about social justice and human dignity, he interspersed personal stories about his Jewish upbringing. Messages of love, hope, and understanding were woven throughout them.
In no time at all, we were immersed into such an engaging scene. People clapped their hands, hummed along with the tunes, and laughter drifted out into the sunsetting sky. It was impossible not to move, or be moved.
When the evening was coming to a close, the band surprisingly invited everyone up to the area in front of the stage. There, Robert and I joined fifty or so others. Unexpectedly, Sofer made his way down and stood among us. He instructed everyone to hold hands and together as one, we snaked around the area, then changed direction and continued in a bunny hop fashion. Next, we formed a human bridge with outstretched arms and those not being the bridge, ran through it! Before calling it a night, we all danced the Hora singing “Ha-va, na-gi-la, ha-va, na-gi-la, ha-va, ni-gi-la,-ve-nis-me-chah…”
From my journal: June 25, 2022, Newbury Park, California
“What a crack up band – fun, lively, even stirring at times. Probably 200+ people clapping, laughing, and humming…just being outside was wonderful. Great music, perfect weather…came home feeling so good!”
I hadn’t remembered the last time I held hands with a stranger, or laughed so hard, or smiled so much. Caught up in the joy, I hadn’t remembered how good it felt to be present in the moment, with other people, and feel so alive.
A Journal Journey 