Another Place We'll Never Be

You may have missed-I confess I did but social media was all abuzz-last weekend's activities all part of the  First Friday Downtown Norwich, ranging from the Otis Library to Norwich Arts Center, Artspace as well as the Gallery at the Wauregan and Reliance House Gallery plus live music in multiple locations to include the steps of City Hall and in a recently opened destination shop on Main Street, Encore Justified.

From what I read and heard, people came from within and without the city to admire the art, enjoy the music, patronize the restaurants and were having so much fun enjoying themselves and each other, no one had the time to complain about how there's never anything to do in Norwich or how when there is something to do, there's never any parking. Funny, eh?

Everywhere I go, I run into people who chide me about my "boosterism"-Norwich is NOT Mystic, they remind me. Thanks for the geography lesson and glad we got that straight, but why stop there? There are literally billions of places Norwich isn't; I'll pause while you silently list them all.

I'm kidding-I don't have that kind of time and neither should you. I will confess and concede what you probably already know, I wasn't born here like so many who claim to have such concern about my so-called enthusiasm.

I chose to live here with my family as have many others and that's got a lot to do, perhaps, with why we see Norwich differently than do you. Between discouraged experts and enthusiastic beginners, we can be whatever city we decide to be. But first we must decide to decide.

Weather permitting, if you're at Rock the Docks tonight for the Fat Cats tonight pay attention to how many other people are at Howard T. Brown Park. Some will have stopped off to grab a bite in a local place before the show, others will have something at the show while still others will save their dinner for dessert, so to speak, afterwards.

A lot of folks, our neighbors and friends (a/k/a "local businesses"), worked hard to make all those choices happen. They might take exception to your 'there's nothing to do here' attitude.

If you like Rock the Docks come back this Friday with more music at the Elsie Brown Gazebo when Ramblin' Dan Stevens plays at six. I caught the first installment of "Friday Night Acoustics," last month with Bohemian Picnic and there were folks and fans in lawn chairs across the park and on the benches with boat owners at the Marina all enjoying the sounds.

It's another night of free music in a city with nothing to do that's certainly not Mystic. Of course, at one time, not even Mystic was Mystic so I'm thinking there's hope for us yet. But hope is NOT a plan just like happiness is a choice and not an accident.

-bill kenny