What's Up - Your guide to what's happening in Fayetteville, AR this week!
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/1191856
Though not as tone-deaf as my father, I can only hit about one out of three notes, but there's no room for worrying about being in the right key at a Beer and Hymns night — sing out, sister, because everyone else is too busy having too good of a time to notice that you are no Enrico Caruso. The band only took two brief breaks during a two-hour period, and that was so the night's nonprofit beneficiary, the Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter, could give its pitch in a one-two punch that hit us right in the giving bone. The first representative from the organization gave us the stats: The shelter houses more than 400 children a year from 19 different counties in Northwest Arkansas, and less than 20% of its budget comes from the state — so donations are critical to the bottom line. The second speaker was a young woman who admitted she was nervous — this was her first time speaking in public — who then began haltingly, carefully reading her prepared notes to the crowd. She told us a story about a 13-year-old girl brought to the shelter in the middle of the night, rescued from a dangerous situation, who was surprised to realize that the shelter workers were kind and supportive — she thought she was being brought there to be punished. The young woman stopped at this point in her story, unable to go on, struggling against tears. Finally, she explained that she was telling us her own story, why she now supports the shelter as a volunteer and why she hoped we would help support the shelter with our donations. The spirit of the night and, especially, the young woman's story, were full of heart and impact, and near the end of the show, Weatherford announced that the room had donated nearly $2,500 to the shelter. "To me, we're fostering community — that's what I've loved the most about what's happening," says Weatherford when I ask him what effect he thinks the events have on participants. "Singing, drinking, all kind of have — I hesitate to use the word 'magic' power, but they really can help break down some barriers for people. We live in such a divided world today. Nothing hurts my heart more than that, and so that's what I love about Beer and Hymns. You can look out and see people who voted one way or another or didn't vote because they felt they couldn't — and they're all hanging out, drinking a drink, whether that's beer, wine, water, and they're singing songs and giving back to their community. When I see this, I feel like all this bitterness, all this division, all this hate that we see around us today — I feel like we're going to be OK. We're going to get through all of this." I, on the other hand, would not hesitate to call the particular alchemy of group sing-alongs magic. To be perfectly honest, I haven't enjoyed the Christmas season since my father died four years ago. Christmas carols are particularly excruciating, especially since most of them bring memories of my father putting on records as we decorated our tree. But that night at the Tontitown Winery, I sang along with gusto; at the end of the night, as we closed "Silent Night" with a final acapella verse and then rose and sang "O Come All Ye Faithful," swaying side to side, shoulder to shoulder, the songs of the season brought me peace instead of pain. Every Beer and Hymns event ends with the folk song "All of the Hard Days Are Gone," a boisterous melody with a gentle message: "Life has been cloudy and gray/Take the bad memories and put them away/For the sun has come out, we have waited so long/All of the hard days are gone." "Do you want to sing some carols on the way home?" asked my son as we got in the car to leave. And for the first time in four years, it sounded like something I might like to do. GET GREAT BRANSON DEALS sent directly to your phone! Text BRANSON to 82928 Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to cancel. Go to taponitdeals.com/terms for privacy and terms. 10 WHAT'S UP! DECEMBER 15-21, 2019 COVER STORY Beer Continued From Page 9 Photo courtesy Russell Bloodworth Photography A little rain can't dampen the enthusiasm at a Beer and Hymns event.