One more step toward "normal"!
Our entourage spent last weekend in Kirtland, Ohio, which, for us, is sacred family ground. It’s also just about 25 miles from where we live today.
My great-grandfather, Joseph Angell Young, was born in Kirtland in 1835. He would ultimately go on to serve in leadership positions in what was then the nascent Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS), also known as the Mormon Church. Kirtland played a major role in the Mormon march west.
We had previously paid homage to Joseph, so our reason for being in Kirtland last Saturday and Sunday was quite different. We didn’t go there to celebrate Joseph’s birth, but rather the re-birth of live music and large outdoor events in Northeast Ohio.
WonderStruck - Cleveland’s Music Festival - was held on the campus of Lakeland Community College (LCC), a fine educational institution serving our region that took on a new identity last weekend as the site of a high energy entertainment event.
LCC is on a hill roughly parallel in height to the very first Mormon Temple located just about a mile south as the crow flies. In between lies a beautiful valley that was home to Mormon pioneers before they were chased out on their way to what is today Utah.
As I escaped the hot, hot (did I say HOT) sun, I sat in a very large tent with other fans and plenty of cold beverages. I found myself reflecting on what my great-grandfather might have thought of all this. There were thousands of cars and mega thousands of people in attendance - all seeming to have a happy time to the beat of high octane music. People everywhere were smiling and dancing and singing and just having some very loud fun.
Most of the attendees were between 14 and 40. It was hugely popular for them, but not something your average 82-year-old would necessarily attend, unless of course, his son’s company was the organizer. I salute my son, Denny, and his entire team for a job well done. And, well done LCC, too. See you again in 2022.
One final observation. Even higher than the massive stage banners proclaiming WonderStruck was a tall building that stood out. It has a simple one-word name - LIBRARY. Campus libraries serve as a bridge between our past and where we are now. Today, my great-grandfather would have been 186 years old. I can't talk to him. I can’t email him. Try as I might, I haven't been able to set up a Zoom session. No FaceTime either. But I can read about him.
In the near future, I’ll tell you a little bit about his father. Does the name Brigham Young ring a bell?
In the meantime, keep on rockin’ with the times. Nothing stands still.
DY: In Just a Few Words is a blog that comes out when something needs to be said or every Tuesday - whichever comes first. Davis Young is a communications professional who adds 50+ years of experience and perspective to issues of the day. His emphasis in DY: In Just a Few Words will be humor (a touch of sarcasm here, a pinch of facetiousness there...). Once in a while, he will touch on something a bit more serious - but hopefully not too deep or depressing.
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