The following article was written by Tim Gadzinski, Programming Coordinator at the Manitowoc Public Library.
There are abundant opposing factions into which people can be divided—99% of which I would never even consider bringing up in a public forum such as this. However, there is one noncontroversial pair of groupings that I feel confident can be mentioned without hesitation: those that identify as being “indoorsy” and those that see themselves as being “outdoorsy.”
Outdoorsy types, generally speaking, prefer to indulge in open-air, wide-open-spaces adventure—camping, hiking, climbing, biking, fishing, beach-going. You get the picture. Indoorsy folks, once again generally speaking, tend to prefer to encounter their inspirations in more enclosed settings—theaters, restaurants, museums, galleries, just staying home and reading a book.
Personally, I’m more of a hybrid. I love biking, but I’ve spent more than a little time in darkened rooms, chomping on popcorn and watching wonderfully awful sci-fi movies. I’ve gone for amazing hikes in the Upper Peninsula and Door County, but I’ve also had some fantastic meals in restaurants in both of those locales. I went on an extraordinary climb to a monastery jutting out into the ocean in Spain that almost did me in, but the night before, I spent several hours marveling at the amazing modern art at the Guggenheim.
And then there’s the flat-out crossover experiences that I’ve been fortunate enough to be exposed to—traditional indoor events that took place outside. Seeing a production of “The Merry Wives of Windsor” in an outdoor theater where it started to rain so hard that the actors had no option than to laugh at the absurdity of what was happening even though they soldiered-on and gave great performances. Or seeing the New York Philharmonic play in Central Park, complete with fireworks, amazing wine, and a spectacular picnic spread.
My point is that even if you consider yourself to be indoorsy, you wind up doing a ton of the things that you love in an outdoor setting sometimes. You may wonder, however, why I’m bringing any of this this up in the first place. Which is a very valid thing to wonder.
It’s also a query that’s easily answered. It’s because everyone has a great true story to tell on almost any given topic. And what better way to set up the third installment of Tales from the Taproom: A StorySlam Event for Adults (21+) at PetSkull Brewing Company, taking place from 6-8 PM on Wednesday, September 17, sponsored by Seehafer News.
This time around, we’re adding a special twist—we’ll be moving things from the indoor taproom to the outdoor beer garden for an evening of open-air storytelling! The theme this time out is “The Great Outdoors!” That’s right, folks. We’re leaving things fairly wide open. The only required element is that whatever story you tell, it has to have taken place outside. An outdoor concert experience, an amazing back porch evening with friends, a hike with an unexpected twist. Anything that you feel comfortable telling that took place al fresco! And as this is an Adults-Only event, nothing is off limits—if you’re willing to tell it, it’s a story worthy of the hearing.
Something to keep in mind is that this is an evening for people to get together to share their true stories. It’s not stand-up comedy or a platform for political manifestos or an opportunity to do a public reading from an as-of-yet unpublished post-apocalyptic neo-tribal vampiric zombie/metadroid saga. It’s a true story zone. There are no props and no notes. Just five minutes and a true, personal favorite story on the evening’s topic. Once again, this installment of “Tales from the Taproom” is going to be cohosted by the wondrous Steph Peters, Director of Community Engagement at the YMCA.
You don’t have to come to “The Taproom” to tell a story—you can come to just listen and enjoy. However, should you want to step up to the mic to share a story with the evening’s theme, please note that sign-up begins at 5:30 PM and we’ll fit in as many stories as possible during the allotted time. Five minutes may seem like a lot, but it goes by quickly. And we’ll have a timekeeper to keep you on-track. Keep in mind, though—they will cut you off at five minutes, so knowing your story well is a necessity.
We can’t wait to hear about your outdoor adventures at “Tales from the Taproom” at PetSkull Brewing on Wednesday, September 17, from 6-8 PM. If there’s a better way to gracefully and communally transition from summer into early-autumn than with a great outdoor evening of sharing true stories, we certainly haven’t been told about it!