September 2014 Memory Cafe
The Montpelier Memory Cafe on September 13th was 90 minutes of laughs, storytelling, camaraderie and delicious picnic food, as we welcomed two very special guests. Many thanks go to Brian Gallagher, Vice President and General Manager of the Vermont Mountaineers baseball team, and Bill “Spaceman” Lee, pitcher for the Boston Red Sox in the 1970's, who graciously agreed to join us at our Cafe. After an early morning decision by Bill D. to move the venue indoors due to a chilly weather forecast, we met at MSAC. People with memory disorders, their friends and families, volunteers and our invited speakers all formed a large circle for introductions. Connections were made; Bill Lee and Liz D. had both partied with Abbie Hoffman! Bob G.'s favorite team, the Minnesota Twins, was also a favorite of Bill Lee's because he'd defeated them 10 out of 11 times in his career! Brian Gallagher told us of the connections he's witnessed between the college baseball players who live with local families, forming lifelong friendships. He feels great pride in the success of the Mountaineers' program and offered to bring some players with him to a summer Cafe next year. Thanks also to our grillmasters, John and Janet Poeton, who served up trays full of yummy “Fenway Franks.” Our next Cafe is on Saturday, October 11th. It will be at MSAC, from 10 AM to 11:30 AM, and will feature some gentle yoga instruction by Theo Exploration. He is a massage therapist in addition to being a trained practitioner of Bikram yoga. All are welcome to join the Steering Committee meeting at 6:00 PM on Monday, October 6th at MSAC.