The "Pit"

I went to a concert last night, in the "Pit" at our old High School . . .Jr High . . .now District Office and Middle School here in Fallon.  I played the piano on a couple of songs for the high school choral ensemble called Minor Details, and also for a couple of the kid's solos that they sang for regional solo & ensemble.  I LOVE those kids, and their talent is amazing.  The director, Tom Fleming is one of the best I've ever known.  The concert was absolutely wonderful.

The "Pit" has been recently renovated and looks beautiful.  The stage is redone, the wood floor refurbished, the balconies re-railed, etc. . .and while it has lost a bit of its authenticity (because I just kind of like the "old and worn" look), I still love it.  I believe it is one of my favorite buildings here in Fallon.  I'm not sure how old it is, but I know that many of the older folks in Fallon attended high school there, so at least back to the 1930's or earlier.  Heidi, Kari, and Sara attended jr high school there, and in 1996 (when Kari was in 7th grade), we started doing our jr high musicals in the "Pit".  Let's see if I can remember. . . the first one was "Ducktails and Bobbysox", then "Shakespeare Comes to Calamity Creek", then "Lucky Hudson", then "Lil Abner", and then "Annie". . . .when we first learned that Sara loved musical theater and she landed the role of Annie.  The next year it was "Crazy for You", and Sara had equally as much fun being one of the chorus and learning to tap dance as she had playing the leading role the year before.  She just loved being there and being a part of the whole production.   I miss doing musicals with her and watching that love flow out of her. 

I stood in the open hallway during intermission of last night's concert, looking around, watching people, and just being filled with so many good memories.  I chatted for a bit with the lady who taught art for years at Northside Elementary.  She taught both Kari and Sara, and Kari was good friends with her son throughout jr high and high school.  At one point in our conversation this dear lady said, "And how's Sara?".  Time stopped, my brain froze and I could feel it clicking, trying to process and find an answer.  I know she saw my confusion and realized her mistake.  She said, "I'm so sorry, I get their names confused, I mean Kari."  We went on for a little bit with our conversation, the lights blinked to start the concert again, and time moved on.  It didn't make me mad or upset.  It was actually kind of nice to hear someone say Sara's name out loud.  I wanted to live in that moment. . . to think that she was still here, somewhere. . . and how was she?  I was even thankful for it, because sometimes I need confirmation that she was really here, that I'm not just living in some dream. 

Anyway. . . I wish I had a good picture of the "Pit" to share.  It is a lovely old building, filled with many memories for many people.  I know it might seem crazy to love a building, but I do. . . . I love all the years of memories it contains.