Pre-Laborious End of Summer Pool Party
Earlier this summer, my friend Joey mentioned throwing a summer shindig at his parent's place out in Franklin. Their circa-1800s home sits on a few acres of land just outside of Nashville that gives you enough space to relax and enjoy the country silence by the infinity pool. But it also gives you enough space to turn up the tunes ... so we decided to do just that. On August 29th we threw a "Pre-Laborious End-of-Summer Pool Party".
I rolled up to the house around 3 o'clock the afternoon before the party to help set up. Unlike Footwork events I had thrown in the past, there wasn't much to do. Joey and I moved the rocking chairs out of the aptly named "stick-hut", a tin-roof open-air building by the pool, to make space for a dance floor. After an adrenaline inducing battle with a 4-foot snake I discovered in the table drawer, we set up the PA and lights with the help of Joey's brother, Mike. Jared (DJ Foldy) arrived shortly thereafter and did a quick soundcheck. We put on a Spotify playlist to set the vibe, went to grab some dinner, and relaxed before our friends arrived.
The plan was to enjoy one last summer night before fall settled in - chatting, swimming, and dancing. We didn't know how many people would come - 30? 40? ...100? Our email invitation didn't really ask people to RSVP, and since it was a 30-minute trek from town and it had rained earlier in the day, we didn't know whether people would make the drive.
But our friends did make the drive. The crowd ended up being pretty small - a mix of 30 old and new friends - but it was one of my favorite parties to be a part of. I had the chance to DJ for the first time (outside of my bedroom) and had a blast. DJ Foldy followed up my amateur 25-minute set with a a 2-hour set that blew everyone's minds. I found myself constantly going back-and-forth between the pool and the dance floor because I couldn't decide what was better (and Foldy kept playing my favorite tunes).
From what I could tell, everyone that showed up was relaxed and had a good time. I enjoyed every minute of it. I received a couple notes from friends on the following Monday that echoed my thoughts and made my week.
The opportunity to bring people together for whatever reason is awesome. It makes me think that even parties can be meaningful! I'm thankful for people like Joey and Jared to who share that perspective and are willing to help make gatherings like this happen. Until next time!
