The Bright Side
Guitars for Vets is coming to Lake Geneva.
This wonderful non-profit vet’s organization is run by a group of men (not all vets) who find, accept, repair and refurbish and then gift guitars to veterans who are still suffering from the psychological and physical effects of the wars. They are all about the “veteran’s journey” and music has been found to be a wondrously curative for people in this situation. There is no cure for PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder), but there are fixes to help get people through. The big get-together will be in February of next year. You will be seeing more notices before that event. Some vets will come to Avant Coffee Shop to play their guitars, and some will be selling apparel and have silent auctions to collect money to pay for the repair of other guitars accumulated along the way.
Many veterans will come with guitars they’ve received from the program. It will be a special place to bring a guitar, and then have it gifted to a vet in trouble, not that it is likely that any of those guys and gals might want to admit that they are in that condition (and don’t want to mention that either!). There are plenty of people who own guitars they never play but don’t want to part with because the instruments get under your skin and over time come to have special meaning. This group (Guitars for Vets) and those participating in it with the vets will allow you to know for certain that your special instrument will be played, and it will be played with real meaning. You will have truly welcomed a vet home in a substantial and visceral way you might not be able to do in any other way. Patrick Nettesheim can be reached at 414-339-3648 or Patrick@guitarsforvets.org.
Guitars for Vets
Trick-or-Treating.
The city of Lake Geneva will support trick or treating on the Sunday before Halloween (October 28th from 1 p.m. until 4 p.m.) and this will include any businesses that choose to participate. In past years, trick-or-treating was held on Halloween (the specific day and date) in the late afternoon into the early evening. The change was made for the safety of the kids, and for the convenience of the parents. This change in tradition is fairly significant, and not everyone agrees with it. Some businesses that are closed on Sundays really support the change, as trick or treating appears to bring in little revenue to their businesses when held on other days.
Many surrounding towns have decided to do the same, and hold trick-or-treating on Sunday,
October 28th. The Town of Delavan will be from noon to 3 p.m., Geneva Township will be from 2 p.m. through 6 p.m., and Lyons will be from 2 p.m. until 4 p.m. Many other communities decided to keep with tradition and hold trick-or-treating on Halloween Wednesday, October 31st including Fontana, Walworth, Bloomfield, and Genoa City from 4 p.m. through 7 p.m. Williams Bay and Elkhorn are also sticking with the tradition and hosting trick-or-treating on Halloween from 5 p.m. through 7 p.m. Was it a better time back in the day when such things were not regulated, but simply socially dictated? Whatever you decide to do, be safe and have fun. Happy Halloween!